DIMAPUR: The Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB), in collaboration with the Nagaland Community Conserved Areas Forum (NCCAF), The Nature Conservancy Centre (TNCC) and the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), organized a community consultation on the Nagaland State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) on Thursday at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur.
APCCF (Territorial), Supongnukshi Ao, graced the occasion as the chief guest, accompanied by member secretary NSBB, Sidramappa M. Chalkapure. The consultation was led by chairperson NCCAF, Heirang Lungalang and brought together 59 community leaders representing 15 districts of the state.
Community leaders actively contributed to the discussions, sharing knowledge, experiences, priorities and perspectives. The consultation was part of the ongoing process to revise Nagaland’s SBSAP to align with India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024–2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Nagaland first prepared its SBSAP in 2005, which was later revised and formally launched in May 2022, incorporating twelve National Biodiversity Targets in line with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
Key themes of discussion were biodiversity conservation and management, restoration of degraded land and waterbodies, sustainable use and benefits from biodiversity, and inclusive decision-making through community participation.
Inputs received during the consultation will help revise the plan to reflect local knowledge, priorities and experiences of communities dependent on biodiversity.
To support the revision process, two more consultations are scheduled in September 2026 with Nagaland’s Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, line departments, regional universities and sectoral experts.
The Nature Conservancy, its Indian affiliate TNCC and FES, in close coordination with NSBB, continue to strengthen community-led conservation efforts across the state.