Community-led urban forest Meraküm Tzüin – Nagar Van inaugurated in Mokokchung

MOKOKCHUNG — The Mokokchung Forest Division, in collaboration with the community of Mokokchung village, inaugurated a community-led urban forest named Meraküm Tzüin – Nagar Van Mokokchung near Mokokchung village on Wednesday.

Named after the “Grand Waterfall” that cascades through the valley, the 50-hectare sanctuary was inaugurated by Vedpal Singh, principal chief conservator of Forests and head of the Forest Force and Chief Wildlife Warden, Nagaland.

The event was held in the presence of the deputy commissioner of Mokokchung, the senior superintendent of police of Mokokchung, members of the Mokokchung Village Council, and senior Forest officials.

Implemented under the Government of India’s Nagar Van Yojana, the project seeks to restore urban green cover, enhance environmental quality, and rekindle the bond between people and forests.

Speaking at the inauguration, Singh described the initiative as “a modest yet profound step toward healing our inner space through forests – our ancient connection.” He highlighted two core objectives of the Nagar Van: education and awareness, and the reconnection of urban dwellers with nature.

“As urban space expands and greenery recedes, we have gradually lost that ancient link with forests. Nagar Van restores that bond while teaching the vital role of diverse flora and fauna,” he said.

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Singh acknowledged the Mokokchung Village Council for providing the land and the Forest department for adopting an innovative and integrated approach that weaves together afforestation, cultural landmarks, religious significance, and historical narratives.

He proposed forming a monitoring committee to extend protection, observation and documentation of biodiversity growth. He also expressed hope that this model will be replicated beyond Nagaland state, ‘where ecology meets identity, livelihoods and conservation coexist, sowing a collective vision through partnership between Community and the department.’

According to Dr. Sentitula, district forest officer (DFO), Mokokchung Division, the Meraküm Tzüin, comprising a 50-hectare area that now forms Nagar Van, lay fallow for nearly a decade and is a landscape with ancestral memory.

Once a jhum field at ‘Yakon̄g Pok’, she said the landscape carries the memory of old cultivation, sacred groves, vanished wildlife, ritual spaces, and stories passed down by elders.

She stated that the 50-hectare community-led restoration stands as a landmark of ecological renewal, cultural memory, and shared responsibility.

She added that it marks a turning point where a community once again becomes the custodian of its environment, its culture, and its future.

She said that the Meraküm Tzüin is now a restored forest and a model of community-driven conservation. It features afforestation with native species, a concrete eco-trail with 546 steps, resting shelters, viewpoints and gazebos, a wilderness shelter, drinking points and restrooms, and a bio-amphitheatre for ecological and cultural storytelling.

It also includes a Bible Garden featuring plants from or linked to Scripture, a sanctuary for forest bathing and wellbeing, a sustainable eco-tourism model, and a ‘Living lab’ envisioned as a real-world learning and research space, integrating ecology, culture, and hands-on nature-based education.

As it grows, she said it will evolve into a digital conservation hub enabling global participation, tree adoption, AI-powered learning and, above all, a blueprint for climate resilience.

Rongsenlemla, conservator of forests, noted that besides afforestation efforts, the site’s rare combination of a magnificent waterfall, perennial streams, traditional morung elements, and striking geological formations makes water conservation and cultural heritage integral to the project.