Noticing the threat posed to the flora and fauna in their area, the community at Sendenyu, under Tseminyu Sub Division of Kohima District have responded by taking up initiatives of their own to preserve and protect the biological diversity in their area.
The story of the project, called the Sendenyu Community Biodiversity & Wildlife Conservation (SCBWCC) was briefed to Nagaland state Governor, PB Acharya during his recent visit to Sendenyu village in connection with the Rengma Students’ Union (RSU) conference.
The community project consists of Sendenyu village and its offshoot villages – Sedenyu New and Thongsiinyu.
The Sendenyu community conservation works began with the Sendenyu Village Council Biodiversity & Wildlife Conservation Act, 2001, wherein various rules and regulations for conservation were framed and enforced.
Also as part of the conservation effort, an area of about 20 square kilometers of village land has been demarcated as Village Community Biological and Wildlife Protected Area, with a vision to preserve and protect the rich and diverse natural heritage. All denizens of the Sendenyu community are directly the stakeholders of SCBWCC.
The area has been home to various birds that are normally found in evergreen sub-tropical wet climatic conditions. However, most of the animals have become extinct due to excessive hunting, lack of their natural food due to encroachment of their habitat by humans. Following enforcement of conservation in the Protected Area (PA) and other village community lands, today, many animals have returned – such as wild boars, barking deer, sambar, hog badgers, several packs of Indian wild dogs, bears, leopards, macaques, flying fox, flying squirrel, civet, slow loris, otter etc.
The area also has a host of amphibians and reptiles. A variety of bird species such as barbets, different woodpeckers, partridges and quails, pheasants, doves, pigeons, owls, cuckoos, bulbuls, flycatchers, bush-robins etc are found in the area.
As part of a long term strategy for sustainability of conservation, initially, farmers have been advised to do away with jhum cultivation (slash and burn) and to adopt more scientific, productive and eco-friendly farming such as horticulture and wet terrace cultivation.
As a result, more green coverage is maintained; thereby facilitating increase in organic soil carbon content and other nutrients in the soil, increase in moisture, retention, reduction in soil erosion etc.
Micro-check dams and water harvesting ponds have also been dug in the PA to recharge underground water and also to provide drinking water for wild animals.
Initially, the conservation works began with contributions from members and well wishers. The Nagaland State Government has also contributed to the success of the conservation project by providing LPG connections to the families whose land falls within the PA, contributed funds for construction of watch towers, part fencing of the PA, and honorarium pay for three forest guards.
Fines imposed by the village council on violation of conservation rules such as poaching, trapping, illegal collection of medicinal herbs range from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 50,000.
In an effort to document the rich biological diversity heritage, all the major landscapes, rivulets, lakes and ponds, natural spring sources, flora and fauna including wild edible fruits, medicinal plants, timber of commercial value, different species of bamboos, etc found within the land have been listed and are in the process of documentation.
The Sendenyu Community Biodiversity & Wildlife Conservation Committee believes that the sustainability of community conservation will depend on improving the economic livelihood of the community.
“Therefore, it is pertinent to promote eco-tourism, shift from primitive method to modern, scientific, eco-friendly farming and green village approach,” the Committee stated.
Published at Murong Express on December 22, 2015
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