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Nagaland Biodiversity Needs Collective Effort: Principal Secretary Urges Community Involvement
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News18•23-09-2026, 19:45
Nagaland Biodiversity Needs Collective Effort: Principal Secretary Urges Community Involvement
- •Principal Secretary Y Kikheto Sema emphasized that biodiversity conservation in Nagaland requires collective effort from communities, citizens, educational institutions, and churches, as the Forest Department manages less than five percent of the state's forest cover.
- •Sema highlighted Nagaland's unique landholding system, stressing that the Forest Department alone cannot achieve conservation goals and needs widespread public involvement.
- •He urged discussions on biodiversity and waste management within families, incorporation into school education, and appealed to churches to include conservation in Sunday School teachings and sermons.
- •Sema noted the traditional shifting cultivation system, while culturally significant, is no longer economically viable or ecologically sustainable and negatively impacts biodiversity.
- •The state is revising its Nagaland State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NSBSAP) to align with India's updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), calling for cooperation from all stakeholders.
Key Questions Answered
The Forest Department owns less than five percent of Nagaland's total forest cover due to the state's peculiar landholding system, making collective community and institutional involvement necessary.
Nagaland is revising its State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to align with India's updated national plan and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Officials noted that the traditional shifting cultivation system is closely linked to Naga culture but is no longer ecologically sustainable or economically viable in its present form, affecting biodiversity.