PEREN, NAGALAND:
In a startling revelation that highlights the expanding ecological crisis in the region, Nagaland has lost an estimated 794.88 square kilometers of forest cover between 2013 and 2023. The data, compiled from successive editions of the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), was shared publicly by Y Kikheto Sema, Chairman of the Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB), on Friday.
Addressing the state-level International Day for Biological Diversity 2026 program held at St. Xavier College in Jalukie, Peren district, Sema issued an urgent wake-up call to the state’s populace, stressing that biodiversity conservation has escalated from being a mere environmental concern into an absolute survival issue for humanity. Nagaland rests inside the globally recognized Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, serving as a critical habitat for rare wildlife, medicinal plants, pristine rivers, and orchids.
NAGALAND FOREST DESTRUCTION TRACKER (2013-2023)
Total Forest Cover Eradicated: 794.88 Sq Km
Primary Driving Threats:
── Deforestation & Unsustainable Resource Extraction
── Forest Fires & Severe Soil Erosion
── Pollution & Expanding Water Scarcity
The Power and Responsibility of Community Ownership
Sema, who additionally holds office as the Principal Secretary of the state’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, explicitly declared that governmental intervention alone cannot halt this rapid degradation. He brought forward a crucial structural reality unique to the state: over 95% of Nagaland’s land and forest resources are community-owned.
Invoking Article 371A of the Constitution of India—which guarantees the people of Nagaland absolute constitutional custody over their land and natural resources through customary laws—the NSBB chief argued that this special privilege demands an equal measure of accountability. He appealed directly to indigenous communities, churches, educational institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and local village councils to forge a united front with the forest department to shield the remaining green canopies.
A Call for Youth to Become “Ambassadors of Nature”
The senior official emphasized that global environmental targets can only be met if localized, grassroots action is taken immediately. He encouraged the student community to aggressively reject defeatist attitudes and proactively adopt sustainable lifestyles through everyday conservation practices.
Sema outlined a localized action framework for the youth, urging them to officially step up as “Ambassadors of Nature”:
- Plastic Eradication: Actively avoiding single-use plastic waste to control soil and water pollution.
- Afforestation: Planting saplings and executing village-level community clean-up drives.
- Scientific Documentation: Actively participating in cataloging local flora and fauna by compiling comprehensive People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) at the village level.