IMPHAL, OCTOBER 28: A group of farmers, NGO workers, and district forest officials representing about 10 villages from Manipur’s Senapati district return home from their visit to Khonoma in Nagaland with the hope to develop more Khonoma-model villages in Manipur.
The thick green cover of Khonoma, despite being located just 20 km west of Nagaland’s capital Kohima, welcomed the visiting Senapati farmers on Tuesday. They were taken through various different land use systems of the village; the areas had been divided in to four-land use zones such as core areas where the forest is left alone with no interference from outsiders including villagers of Khonoma; buffer zone for Mithun and other domesticated livestock to feed; a zone for Jhum cultivation and Alder-based wood intercropping (with large cardamom, banana, maize etc); a zone for paddy cultivation.
Khonoma, also known as the first green village of Asia for its freewill conservation efforts led by the community, also offered advice and experiences to the visitors in the field of conservation of forests, wildlife, traditions, cultural values, cleanliness of the village, and more importantly cooperation and coordination among various organizations within the village. Khel is a distinct institution that brings together several clans within the village community.
The 34-member visiting team from Senapati was also briefed about the land-use system of the village—inherited from ancestors—besides concepts about restrictions on commercial exploitation of fauna and flora.
Handicraft, stone mason works, animal husbandry etc were introduced as alternative means of livelihood for active hunters as hunting is banned in the village’s areas. Bio-diversity conservation is being undertaken with the active participation of youths, keeping in mind the generations to come.
Stating that conservation was purely a community-level initiative without the support of the government, Chairperson Khriekhotuo Mor of Khonoma Nature Conservation & Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) said during interactions with the visitors that “Despite hurdles, conservation is made possible in our village. The visit has renewed our mind and endeavour again and we are thankful for the visit.”
The Senapati team was also taken to ecotourism sites to which tourists from India and abroad visit every year. Tourists come to Khonoma village everyday through 6-7 tour operators. There is a luxury inn and a number of lodges in the village besides 30-40 tourist guides, a member of the Eco-Tourism Management Committee (ETMC) said.
Income generated from tourism is utilized for the management of the village’s bio-diversity conservation efforts with the active involvement of Khonoma Women Organization, ETMC, Khonoma Students’ Organization and Khonoma village youth organization. This strengthened the visitors’ view that negative travel advisories were ‘no bar to promote tourism in NE states of India.’
DFO of Senapati Ramesh AM, who was part of the visiting team, appreciated Khonoma community for their conservation efforts. He expressed the need to engage with the villagers whose livelihood depended on natural forest resources.
On the objective of the visit, a post graduate from IIT-Guwahati, N Joyson Tao said, “The visit was planned to gain some insights on community led conservation efforts (in Khonoma village) in view of the rapid degradation of forest cover in the region. If we refused to acknowledge that climate change and global warming as a present reality, then we condemn ourselves and our children to generations of insecurity and social conflicts.”
“I wish to create more of Khonoma’s in Senapati district,” said Tao, also the president of Senapati based Green Hills Society that organized the visit with the support of the district’s administration and Forest department.
