BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 28th November 2025: In a significant step toward strengthening community-led conservation in Tripura, a 26-member delegation from the IGDC–CREFLAT Project undertook an eight-day exposure visit (15–22 November 2025) to various Community Conservation Areas (CCAs) across Nagaland. The initiative, conceptualized by Mr. S. Prabhu, IFS, CEO & Project Director, IGDC–CREFLAT, aimed to understand how Naga communities have successfully blended biodiversity protection with livelihood enhancement.
Nagaland’s CCAs stand as one of India’s strongest examples of grassroots conservation. Villages have traditionally safeguarded forests, wildlife, and water sources—not only for ecological reasons but also for cultural continuity and economic survival.
Communities conserve forests for multiple intertwined objectives: arresting forest degradation, preventing wildlife decline, safeguarding water sources, and securing long-term livelihood opportunities.
At Khonoma, for instance, local elders acted upon concerns that younger generations were losing touch with wildlife due to rampant hunting and tree felling. The result was the creation of a protected landscape designed as a “breeding centre” for wildlife while simultaneously protecting critical water systems.
The visiting Tripura Forest team—including Range Officers, Beat Officers, PMC Members, Technical Officers, VDPIC Members and Village Community Workers—was led by RO Ambassa, Mr. Jagat Bahadur Debbarma. The group interacted with community leaders at Khonoma (Kohima District) and Sendenyu (Tseminyu District) to understand the social engineering and governance processes behind successful conservation.
The key lessons included the formation of Community Conservation Management Committees involving elders, youth groups, SHG members and even former hunters; the need for village-wide awareness campaigns before declaring any conservation area; the importance of micro-planning and participatory decision-making to build long-term trust; and a livelihood-first approach in which KfW projects introduced income-generating activities before enforcing strict conservation rules to ensure villagers did not lose livelihood options.
The visit highlighted how local NGOs and SHGs have become partners in eco-tourism, skill development, and enterprise promotion, distributing benefits through piglets, poultry chicks, handicraft training, jam–jelly making workshops, and revolving funds.
Team members from Tripura shared their reflections on the visit, noting strong parallels between Nagaland’s CCAs and Tripura’s CBCA efforts. The exposure helped participants appreciate: the role of community consent before imposing conservation regulations, how livelihood diversification reduces pressure on forest land, the importance of youth–elder collaboration, how eco-tourism and SHG-based enterprises drive the local economy, and the value of banning hunting through community consensus.
Participants also learned techniques such as terrace farming, which improve soil and water conservation in hilly terrains—knowledge they hope to replicate at home.
During the trip, the team also visited the Doyang Lake Amur Falcon site, Biodiversity Park, SHG product outlets, and Dimapur Zoological Park. The interactions with Nagaland Forest Department, KfW officials, and community institutions offered a practical blueprint for strengthening Tripura’s own CBCA framework.
The exposure visit has reinforced a core insight: community ownership is the foundation of sustainable conservation. Nagaland’s experience demonstrates that when forest-dependent communities see tangible livelihood gains, they willingly protect forests, rivers, and wildlife.
Tripura’s adoption of these learnings—from micro-planning to community committees and eco-tourism—will help build resilient landscapes and stronger village institutions.
The IGDC–CREFLAT Project’s commitment to learning and collaboration marks a forward-looking step in shaping Tripura’s conservation roadmap—one where people, nature, and livelihoods thrive together.
