Environment report card

World Environment Day, which was observed every year on 5 June, reminds the world that protecting nature is not a choice but a responsibility. It is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and calls on governments, communities, organisations, and citizens to understand environmental problems and act before the damage becomes permanent. For Nagaland, this message is especially important because one of its biggest environmental concerns is the steady loss of natural forests. Forests are not only trees. They are water sources, wildlife homes, climate protectors, and cultural inheritance. They protect soil, support biodiversity, and provide life and livelihood to communities. When forests are destroyed, the loss is not only ecological; it is also social, economic, and moral. The story of Rangapahar forest near Dimapur is a painful example. Rangapahar reserved sanctuary was once a large forest area. Reports mention that it covered about 21,768 acres around the time Nagaland inherited it after statehood. Due to illegal logging, encroachment, poaching, and weak protection, the forest began to shrink badly. By 1986, only about 1,161 acres of green cover was reportedly left. The government then tried to protect the remaining area by creating a zoological park. But even this effort could not stop further damage. The protected area was later reduced to about 434 acres, and today Nagaland Zoological Park covers only 176 hectares. This is a serious reminder of what happens when timely action is not taken. The problem is not limited to Rangapahar. Global Forest Watch estimates that Nagaland lost about 37,000 hectares of humid primary forest between 2002 and 2025, and about 280,000 hectares of total tree cover between 2001 and 2025. These figures include different causes, so they cannot all be blamed only on illegal logging. Still, they show that forest loss in Nagaland is real and worrying. Nagaland has a unique land ownership system. The Forest Department states that forests cover about 8,629.30 square kilometres, or 52.04 percent of the state’s area. About 88.30 percent of this forest area is privately or community owned. This means that the government alone cannot protect the forests. Village councils, tribal bodies, customary landowners, and local communities must also take responsibility. Article 371(A) protects Naga customary practices and land rights. However, this protection should not be misunderstood as permission to destroy forests. Ownership must come with responsibility. Communities that claim rights over land and resources must also act as custodians for future generations. A forest inherited from ancestors should not be reduced to timber, cash, and private profit. There are positive examples too. Community-conserved areas in Nagaland show that local people can protect forests through customary rules, restrictions on hunting and tree cutting, community patrols, and social discipline. Such efforts must be supported with funds, training, and legal recognition. At the same time, enforcement must improve. Timber transit permits should be made digital. Seizures and prosecutions should be publicly reported every year. Check gates, forest guards, police, and village authorities must work together. Corruption and illegal timber trade must be dealt with firmly. Rangapahar should not remain only a memory of loss. It should become a warning and a lesson. Nagaland still has forests worth saving, but saving them requires honesty, cooperation, and courage. Environment Day will have meaning only when words are followed by action.