MAPSAS began with an effort to revamp and rejuvenate a parched and polluted lake as a community effort, hoping to bring it back to a living ecosystem. Working closely with the municipality on aspects of design and infrastructure, it took three years to bring the lake back. However, pollution returned which pointed to the fact that the lake was part of a chain of lakes and working on a lake in isolation was not sufficient. The citizen effort grew into a official body that looked at the rejuvenation of the whole lake ecosystem, and MAPSAS was set up: Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Matthu Abhivriddhi Samiti, in agreement with the Bangalore municipality to undertake investments of infrastructure for lake maintenance. The plan for MAPSAS is to work with the collection of empirical data to monitory the air quality, flora and fauna, and enrich the groundwater table. They hope to make this a citizen trajectory to maintain healthy lakes for the city of Bangalore. The priority is to encourage biodiversity in and around lakes, engage the community to play an active role in protecting the lake as a thriving ecosystem for livelihood creation and accessibility.

Why are they the right choice for others:

• Taking an ecosystems approach to lake bodies with due consideration of the interconnectedness of the urban environment and linkages between various lake bodies
• Looking at the systemic problems of the ecology of a lake in consultation with citizens, the municipality and researchers in the field of conservation as well as private funding