One of the objectives of the Tokhü Emong Bird Count is to join the Naga communities and bird lovers to care for biodiversity and endangered habitats in Nagaland. (Photo by Lansothung Lotha)
Wokha, October 29 (MExN): With the objective of celebrating bird diversity and joining the Naga communities and bird lovers to care for biodiversity and endangered habitats in Nagaland, the 2nd Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC) will be held from November 4-7.
From the mountainous wilderness to the arable lowlands, birdwatchers will come together in Nagaland to celebrate the by going out and watching birds, informed a press release the organisers.
The 2023 edition is being organised in collaboration with the Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), Wokha district, and Bird Count India.
The Department of School Education, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), and Eco Warriors Nagaland are the partners of the event while Practicing Food Sovereignty research team from the University of Melbourne, Stockholm University, and North Eastern Social Research Centre are research partners. The event is powered by eBird India with Nikon joining as the equipment partner.
Anyone present in Nagaland can participate in the event from November 4-7.
This collaboration which includes the government of Nagaland, non-governmental conservation organisations, and educational institutions reiterates the significance of acknowledging Naga community knowledge and their participation in caring for biodiversity, the release said.
It is also about recognising Naga people’s cultural practices like post-harvest festivals and their language as integral to preserve, promote, and envision a sustainable future, it added.
Tokhü Emong is the harvest festival of the Lotha community and Tokhü in the Lotha language refers to feasting while Emong means rest/halt on an appointed period.
Observed in the first week of November, this festival is about celebration, fellowship, and reconciliation. Sharing the abundance of harvest and hard work, Tokhü Emong is a time to practice gratitude, remember departed loved ones, and invite neighbours and families for food and drink, the release said.
Embracing the spirit of sharing, oneness, and fellowship, the TEBC organisers invite everyone to join and celebrate Nagaland’s bird diversity, it added.
Commenting on the event, Lansothung Lotha, Range Forest Officer, Nagaland Forest Department said that Nagaland is a one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, with diverse festivals as well as vibrant birdlife
The TEBC is the first of initiatives where the indigenous communities of the state are encouraged to celebrate their festivals with birds and we invite people to reconnect with nature and help rediscover and document the rich avifauna, he said.
“The Practicing Food Sovereignty research team is collaborating with TEBC 2023 because this initiative invites us to adopt birds to reflect on indigenous culture, agriculture, and what it means to be in a relationship of care with other beings and the land,” stated Dr Dolly Kikon, Anthropologist, University of Melbourne.
The event will allow us to connect and come up with bottom-up approaches that centre Indigenous community engagement and participation, she opined.
Mittal Gala, Project Coordinator with Bird Count India at Nature Conservation Foundation also noted that birds are excellent ambassadors of nature.
“Their ability to thrive in our surroundings, from urban places to forests, makes them exceptional representatives of the natural world showcasing the adaptability and resilience of wildlife," she added.
While Amur Falcons put Nagaland on the world birding map, our communities can do more. The TEBC is a way of making each one of us feel pride in the nature and birdlife that we have, added Chenibemo Odyuo, Team Leader, NFMP Foundation for Ecological Security, Phek, Nagaland.
As per the release, the basic activity of the TEBC is to watch and count birds on any/all days from November 4-7 from anywhere in Nagaland, for at least 15 minutes, and upload bird lists to the bird recording platform eBird (www.ebird.org/india).
Besides documenting birds, there will be birdwalks and online/in-person talks about birds for interested public, other birders, and school/college students, it said. The dates of TEBC count fall within Bombay Natural History Society’s Sálim Ali Bird Count–a countrywide event.
While the event is primarily done in Nagaland, everyone living across India and around the world are invited to join the festivities by birding wherever they are, the organisers said.
More information regarding the event is available on https://birdcount.in/event/tokhu-emong-bird-count/.
Contacts
○ Lansothung Lotha (Department of Environment, Forests, & Climate Change, Nagaland). Email: lansothungshitiri@gmail.com; lansothung.lotha@apu.edu.in; WhatsApp: +91-8416005577
○ Mittal Gala (Project Coordinator, Bird Count India). Email: mittal@ncf-india.org; Whatsapp: +91-9024282778
○ Praveen J (Scientist, Bird Count India). Email: praveen.j@ncf-india.org; Call/ WhatsApp: +91-9900028479
○ Joel Rodrigues (Food Sovereignty Research team, Stockholm University). Email: joel.rodrigues@socant.su.se WhatsApp: +46-735671318
○ Suman W M Sivachar, IFS (Department of Environment, Forests, & Climate Change, Nagaland). Email: dfowokhanf@gmail.com; WhatsApp: +91-7629986993
○ Lesemew M (Eco Warriors Nagaland). lesemewyim195@gmail.com; WhatsApp: +91-8415964715
