February 26, Kohima: Principal Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Y. Kikheto Sema, has called for intensified and community-driven conservation efforts in the face of declining forest cover and the impact of climate change.
He made these remarks during the opening session of the Annual Review-cum-Planning Workshop of the Forest and Biodiversity Management in the Himalaya (Nagaland) Project, FBMP.
Mr. Sema emphasized the importance of grassroots awareness and participation in sustainable practices, noting that most forest land in the state is community-owned.
He stressed that conservation must become a people's movement, advocating for intensive and focused interventions, prioritizing ecologically sensitive areas.
Principal, Chief Conservator of Forests, Vedpal Singh, emphasized the need for measurable outcomes and called for strengthening components such as human-wildlife conflict mitigation to enhance public engagement and institutional support.
The FBMP project is co-financed by the German government's KfW, and is currently being implemented in six districts covering 64 villages and 13 community conservation areas.
The two-day workshop is reviewing the project's progress and charting the roadmap for the next phase of implementation.
