Empty forest syndrome

An “empty forest” refers to an ecosystem that is void of large mammals. Empty forests are characterized by an otherwise excellent habitat, and often have large, fully grown trees, although they lack large mammals as a result of human impact. Per this definition, we cannot argue that almost all of our forests in Mokokchung today are empty forests. Nowhere can we expect to see a large mammal, especially a predatory one, in Mokokchung today. There are stories and folklore of villagers hunting and killing tigers and other predatory mammals. In fact, there are incidents when villagers killed a number of tigers at one go in our villages which happened in as late as the 1980s. We have also just learnt from the Director of Intanki National Park that Nagaland does not receive funds for the ‘Project Tiger’ conservation program since there are no tigers in the State, which is not surprising at all. So, how did our forests become empty? Habitat destruction is the obvious answer but there are other causes like defaunation and unabated hunting. When there is no food or prey, the predatory mammals would certainly disappear. Predatory large mammals are important for increasing overall biodiversity. Also, many tree species that are very localized in their dispersion rely on mammals rather than the wind to disperse their seeds. Furthermore, when seed predation is down, trees with large seeds begin to completely dominate those with small seeds, changing the balance of plant life in an area.

We know that there are community reserve forests in almost all the villages with specific institutional structures managing them. Unfortunately, in Mokokchung, there is no common platform for these villages to strengthen their network and thus pursue their common goals. More than 80% of our forests are under the control of the communities but the issues faced by the communities have not been adequately addressed. For some reasons, the traditional institutions have gradually become ineffective in the face of modern challenges. If the current trend of an increasingly shrinking role of community forest management is not addressed, we are looking for an undesirable and uncertain future as far as management of our forests is concerned.

The forest department is doing a commendable job but there has to be some reciprocation from the community as well. Implementing various schemes is only a part of the job and the purpose will not be fully served as long as the communities do not perform their part. The sad reality in Nagaland today is that implementing these schemes, often, do not yield desired results for reasons best known to the implementing agencies and the stakeholders concerned. Bringing the communities together, or the communities coming together themselves rather, and taking the task upon themselves by assuming the role of an advocacy group could be a possible way out to address the issue more effectively. Then, maybe, our forests will no longer be empty.