A research team from Nagaland University (NU), Lumami, is currently undertaking a field-based study on tribal perceptions of climate change under a project funded by the North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong.
The project is led by Principal Investigator Dr Ashutosh Tripathi, Assistant Professor, and Co-Principal Investigator Prof Ashutosh Tripathi, both from the Department of Environmental Science, NU. The team aims to explore how indigenous communities in Nagaland perceive and respond to the changing climate.
Accompanied by research assistant Sediba K Sangtam, Dr Tripathi conducted field visits to several villages across Tuli, Mokokchung, Akulato, Chare, and Kohima during May to July. The team engaged with tribal communities including the Ao, Sangtam, Chang and Sumi groups through focused group discussions and key informant interviews. These interactions sought to uncover community-driven observations of environmental shifts and traditional adaptive strategies rooted in indigenous knowledge systems.
Speaking on the project, Dr Tripathi expressed his gratitude to NEC and NU for their support and to the village councils for their cooperation during the fieldwork. “This research is intended to deepen our understanding of how tribal communities perceive climate change and how their indigenous practices offer resilient, locally-adapted responses to environmental challenges,” he stated.
The study is expected to contribute significantly to region-specific climate research and provide valuable insights into sustainable community-based adaptation strategies that can complement scientific interventions in the future.