1
Village elders and others during the consultation meeting held on November 2.
Zunheboto, November 2 (MExN): ‘Chikhu Range Biodiversity Conservation Committee’ a landscape level forum was formed by 10 villages of Satoi range.
A press release received here stated that the committee was formed at Satoi on November 2 to represent Satoi Range Landscape “in order to address and discuss conservation issues and sustainable development ideas at Satoi Range area.”
This is the second consultant meeting to form a landscape level forum at Satoi range. The first consultation meeting was held at Satoi town on September 19 to discuss the need and necessity to form a committee at landscape level.
During the first consultant meeting, representatives agreed that a range level multi-stakeholder forum is necessary to initiate dialogues and collaborative conservation actions. During the second consultation meeting, after deliberation and discussion, the representative formed the forum. It is named after the highest mountain “Chikhu” in Satoi range. Each village has nominated two representatives to form a 20 member committee.
“This committee will be working towards biodiversity conservation, protection of threatened species, natural resources management and advocacy for the Satoi range,” the press release added.
The meeting was organised and facilitated by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) working on biodiversity conservation in the state.
Satoi Range is located in the western most region of the Zunheboto district of Nagaland. It harbours temperate and subtropical broadleaf forest, one of lush primary forest in the state. The entire range has been recognised as “Important Birds Area” for it rich bird diversity and the forest host some of the rarest and endangered species which includes the state bird Blyth’s Tragopan, Western Hoolock Gibbon, Chinese Pangolin and Great Hornbill making it a biodiversity rich area.
