Hunting, as a way of life, is in the blood of the Nagas. That is a common refrain we hear whenever there is any talk on the importance of wildlife conservation and the difficulties faced on its implementation. There have been efforts made to ban hunting in Nagaland by the government. Several NGOs and community based organizations have also come forward to promote wildlife conservation. Sensitization and awareness on wildlife conservation have been slowly but surely growing.
One of the biggest challenges on wildlife conservation in Nagaland is that the forests, the habitat of all wildlife, are not under the control of the government. Only about 11% of the forests in Nagaland are under the control of the government and the rest is under the control of individuals and villages or communities. It is observed that, unless the individuals and villages or communities come forward to actively participate in wildlife conservation, all other efforts would be in vain.
There are some villages who are into wildlife conservation. However, the efforts of those few villages are negated by their neighboring villages’ indifference. And then there are the urban dwellers who go out hunting with sophisticated guns. The village dwellers alone are not to be blamed.
As long as the mindset of the people do not change, ban on hunting would be futile. Following the adoption of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 by the state government on 18th December 1981, hunting of all wild animals or birds is now an offence. In that parlance, hunting is illegal. And illegal hunting is poaching.
Hunting, as a way of life, is in the blood of the Nagas. But poaching is not.
Mokokchung Times