During the year 1998, while working on issues of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood and acute water scarcity problems in areas of Himalayan terrains in North Eastern parts of Bhutan and India, the necessity of a civic forum to discourse ecological issues in India and the whole eco-region of South Asia, was envisioned by Dr.Dipayan Dey, who founded SAFE, with a support network of eco-conscious people from different sectors. The fundamental thought behind the institutionalization of SAFE remained, “Environmental challenges need to be addressed beyond political boundaries”. On 9th June 2004, SAFE was established under the Indian Trust Act. Hereafter, the organization is actively working towards sustainable development in India and countries of South Asia.
