Community leaders and officials pose for a group photo during the consultation on the revision of the Nagaland State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in Dimapur on September 3.
Dimapur, September 3 (MExN): The Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB), in partnership with the Nagaland Community Conserved Areas Forum (NCCAF), The Nature Conservancy Centre (TNCC) and the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), held a community consultation on the revision of the Nagaland State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) in Dimapur on September 3.
The consultation at Hotel Acacia was attended by 59 community leaders from 15 districts. The meeting was led by NCCAF chairperson Heirang Lungalang, with APCCF (Territorial) Supongnukshi Ao, IFS, as chief guest and NSBB Member Secretary Sidramappa M Chalkapure, IFS, also present.
The consultation sought community inputs on strategies and action points concerning biodiversity conservation in Nagaland. Participants shared their knowledge, experiences and priorities, with discussions centred on biodiversity conservation and management, restoration of degraded land and waterbodies, sustainable use of biodiversity and benefit-sharing, and participatory and inclusive decision-making.
Nagaland is currently revising its SBSAP to align with India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The State prepared its first SBSAP in 2005, which was subsequently revised and formally launched in May 2022, incorporating 12 National Biodiversity Targets aligned with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The community inputs gathered through the consultation will be incorporated into the revised plan to better reflect the local knowledge, priorities and experiences of communities dependent on Nagaland's biodiversity.
Two more consultations are planned in September with the Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, line departments, regional universities and sectoral experts as part of the revision process.
According to the organisers, TNCC and FES, in coordination with NSBB, have been working to strengthen community-led conservation efforts in Nagaland.
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