Mokokchung, 30 April (MTNews): The Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to improve the forest ecosystem and support income generation by rehabilitating Jhum areas and providing livelihood support, thereby contributing to sustainable forest and environmental conservation and livelihood improvement. Since its inception in 2020, the NFMP under the Mokokchung Division has been successfully implemented in all project villages.
According to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Mokokchung, under Batch -1, villages such as Changtongya New, Mopungchuket, and Mongsenyimti covered plantation sites and conservation areas totaling 999 hectares, planting around 180,000 saplings. Under Batch -2, there were 6 villages comprising Sungratsu, Chakpa, Longmisa, Salulemang, Merangkong, and Yaongyimsen, with a total area covered under plantation and conservation sites of 2416 hectares and approximately 512,000 seedlings planted.
The Batch-3 villages include Aliba, Chungtia, Longkong, and Longpa, covering an area of 1163 hectares and planting 225,000 saplings. In Kelingmen, with a designated area of 461 hectares, a total of 98,000 saplings are to be planted, along with gap replacements. The Batch-4 villages to be addressed are Mangmetong, Sattsu, Longkum, and Liroyim, covering a projected area of 1190 hectares.
Reports indicate that the Mokokchung Forest Division has successfully implemented the NFMP-JICA project, covering an area of 4577 hectares and planting 917,302 saplings across five different plantation model areas (JAF – Jhum Agro-Forestry model; JFF – Jhum Fallow Forestry model; JCF – Jhum conversion to Forestry model; JCC – Jhum Conversion to Community Conservation area; and PEC – Protection and Expansion of Community Conservation Areas).
Annual review meeting highlights progress and community empowerment
A two-day annual review meeting was held on April 29 and 30, 2024, to review all the implementation work and assess the benefits and sustainability of projects in the villages. During the meeting, Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) presidents delivered PowerPoint presentations on their ongoing works. The JFMCs shared that the villagers had previously been raising nurseries in small quantities, but with project support, JFMCs were able to scale up operations, incorporating traditional and technical knowledge to manage thousands of saplings.
“This enabled them to provide saplings not only to villagers but also to other departmental projects, enhancing their skills and understanding of forest and wildlife conservation, as well as improving documentation and reporting practices,” the DFO said in a press release.
“The infrastructures developed through Entry Point activities and Water Harvesting Structures proved to be assets for the community, fostering a deeper understanding of convergence and community contribution to government-related schemes,” it added.
It was reported that, to further enhance community livelihoods alongside conservation efforts, Self Help Groups (SHGs) were formed in all villages in consultation and approval of the JFMCs. A total of 42 SHGs were formed in the project implementing villages, actively engaged in various activities.
“These activities have uplifted women’s financial status, enabling them to prepare their own business plans and evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they cycle funds through each activity,” the press release added.
The program was conducted under the leadership of Dr Sentitula, IFS DFO Mokokchung, with participants including Alemwapang, Assistant Conservator of Forest Cum ADMU Head, Sashilemla, Range Officer Cum FMU Head Mokokchung, Moamongba Assistant Conservator Of Forest, and the facilitating NGO team of Mokokchung, led by Dr Akumtoshi. Attendees included executive field staff, DMU team members, supervisors, community mobilizers, JFMC presidents, and SHG representatives.
