Workshop on biodiversity, wildlife conservation in Kohima

A one-day workshop on biodiversity and wildlife conservation was held at the State Botanical Garden, Kohima, on Saturday. The programme was jointly organised by the Kohima Press Club (KPC) and the Silviculture Division as part of KPC’s ongoing 25th anniversary celebration.
The event aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues in Nagaland and strengthen the media’s role in conservation reporting. Resource persons included Bano Haralu, Project Lead, Wildlife Conservation Society (India), and Gwasinlo Thong, member of the IPLC Advisory Board, WCS (International), and chairman of the Sendenyu Community Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Board.
In her welcome address, KPC president Alice Yhoshü said the workshop was meant to equip journalists with a deeper understanding of biodiversity concerns to support informed reporting.
State Silviculturist Dr. Prabhat Kumar, highlighted the importance of protecting ecosystems and called for plantation drives and community support for conservation. He noted that hunting, once for survival, had now become commercial, posing a serious threat to biodiversity.
Gwasinlo Thong spoke on community-led conservation, sharing that the Sendenyu community had banned hunting, bird trapping, fishing with chemicals, jungle burning, and use of airguns. Around 20 sq km of land has been set aside as a Biological Diversity Reserve, he said. Community programmes such as youth rallies and church-based conservation drives were also highlighted.
Bano Haralu presented data showing that Nagaland lost 35,400 hectares of humid primary forest between 2002–2024, amounting to 14% of tree cover loss in the state. She called for integrating Indigenous knowledge with scientific research and flagged issues such as monocropping, soil erosion, and unregulated hunting. Haralu also spoke of the potential of honey production as a sustainable livelihood option.
The event concluded with the Silviculture Division donating 100 tree saplings to the Kohima Press Club for plantation by members.