Nagaland: Indigenous bird guide launched at Hornbill Festival

In a landmark step for community-led conservation, the Yimkhiung Naga people of Thanamir village, Kiphire, launched a pocket bird guide titled “Meramkhanvong Wuhnupo Birds of Meramkhanvong” at the Hornbill Festival on Tuesday.
The guide was formally released at the Yimkhiung Morung by advisor for Fire & Emergency Services, Home Guard, Civil Defence, Relief and Rehabilitation, S. Kiusumew. For the first time, residents of Thanamir are representing the Yimkhiung Naga community at the Hornbill Festival.
Situated beneath Meramkhanvong (Mt. Saramati), Nagaland’s highest peak at 3,842 metres, Thanamir has long protected its forests through customary law and cultural ties. Since 2020, the Meramvong Conservation Programme—led by villagers in collaboration with the Village Council, researchers and partner organisations including Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)—has strengthened forest governance and biodiversity documentation.
Speaking at the launch, the advisor encouraged community-based researchers to expand awareness on conservation and preservation, and congratulated them for creating a valuable source of knowledge for younger generations.
The pocket guide features 150 bird species commonly found in and around Thanamir, building on community-led research that has recorded over 300 species since 2021—nearly half of Nagaland’s known bird species and over one-fifth of India’s.
The publication also documents local bird names, oral histories and ancestral stories, reinforcing cultural knowledge and community-led forest governance. Hand-drawn illustrations by self-taught Yimkhiung youth artists accompany the guide, weaving together identity, tradition and conservation.
Nagaland is home to over 800 Community Conserved Areas (CCAs), a model unique in India. The launch of the guide underscores how Indigenous stewardship, scientific monitoring and cultural knowledge can converge to advance resilient, locally driven conservation.