A workshop involving Community Conserved Area representatives in Dimapur highlighted community-led forest and biodiversity conservation efforts across Nagaland.
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DIMAPUR — A two-day learning and experience-sharing workshop on Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) was held at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur, on March 11 and 12.
It brought together community leaders, conservation practitioners, and government representatives to reflect on community-led forest and biodiversity conservation efforts across Nagaland.
According to an update, the workshop was jointly organised by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), the Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSSB), the Forest and Biodiversity Management in the Himalaya Nagaland Project (FBMP), and The Nature Conservancy Centre (TNCC).
Around 60 participants attended the workshop, including representatives from 13 cluster CCAs, members of the Nagaland Community Conserved Areas Forum (NCCAF), project partners including Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD) and the Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (DEFCC), and facilitating agencies.
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Delivering the keynote address, Sidramappa M Chalkapure, Member Secretary of the Nagaland State Biodiversity Board and project director of FBMP, highlighted the importance of coexistence between humans and wildlife.
He stressed that biodiversity conservation does not have a jurisdictional limit and encouraged communities to document their natural resources through the People’s Biodiversity Register. He also stressed the need to safeguard wildlife corridors to enable the safe movement of species across landscapes.
Earlier in the inaugural session, Sanjay Sharma, regional head of FES, provided the context of the workshop and highlighted that the workshop would capture and document the learnings and experiences of the community.
Tokugha Sumi, Vice Chairman of NCCAF, shared the journey of the forum and highlighted the role of community networks in promoting conservation initiatives across Nagaland.
The workshop featured a series of interactive sessions where representatives from CCAs reflected on their experiences in forest and biodiversity management over the past five years. Participants shared best practices, discussed challenges faced in conservation efforts, and identified strategies that have helped strengthen community-led governance systems.
The workshop concluded with a synthesis session outlining key learnings and future directions for strengthening CCAs.