Nagaland has begun the process of revising its State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, with a two-day consultation workshop bringing together stakeholders to identify biodiversity challenges, opportunities and priorities for the state.
The workshop, organised by the Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB) in association with The Nature Conservancy Centre (TNCC) and Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), began in Kohima on Wednesday and will conclude on Thursday.
In his inaugural address, Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Chairman NSBB and Development Commissioner Y Kikheto Sema said the revision was a commitment of the state government aimed at aligning Nagaland’s biodiversity conservation efforts with the global framework.
He called on participants to identify specific challenges and opportunities and develop priorities to guide future conservation action in the state.
Sema said Nagaland’s rich biodiversity and high forest cover presented opportunities for both conservation and sustainable development. He said the state should leverage its biodiversity and ecological resources by encouraging visitors to experience its natural environment.
He also highlighted the importance of agriculture and allied activities, noting that around 70 percent of the state’s population lives in rural areas and is engaged in agriculture and allied activities.
He described Nagaland’s shifting cultivation system as unique and called for greater recognition of the state’s agricultural practices.
The Principal Secretary also linked biodiversity conservation with waste management, saying issues relating to solid and liquid waste should be addressed through greater public awareness and participation.
He suggested incorporating biodiversity and waste management into school education and encouraged churches to take up these issues through Sunday School teachings and church programmes.
The state is revising its State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NSBSAP) in line with India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
The consultation is seeking inputs on biodiversity challenges, state-specific priorities, governance, capacity building and community participation for the revised action plan.
Nagaland prepared its first State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 2005 and revised and formally launched it in May 2022, incorporating 12 targets drawn from the national plan and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The consultation was chaired by CCF (D&P) and Member Secretary, NSBB, Sidramappa M Chalkapure, IFS. Representatives and officials from the Forest Department, TNCC India Executive Director Ishwar Narayanan and FES General Manager Sanjay Sharma also addressed the consultation.
The revised strategy and action plan is expected to provide a framework for future biodiversity conservation efforts and priorities in Nagaland.