Eco-Warriors of the Northeast: How Indigenous Practices Combat Climate Change

Eco-Warriors of the Northeast: How Indigenous Practices Combat Climate Change

NILIM KASHYAP BARTHAKUR

Indigenous peoples are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change, due to their dependence upon, and close relationship with, the environment and its resources.

Climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by indigenous communities, including political and economic marginalization, loss of land and resources, human rights violations, discrimination, and unemployment.

Climate change poses threats and dangers to the survival of indigenous communities worldwide, even though indigenous peoples contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions. Indigenous peoples are vital to, and active in, the many ecosystems that inhabit their lands and territories and may therefore help enhance the resilience of these ecosystems.

In addition, indigenous peoples interpret and react to the impacts of climate change in creative ways, drawing on traditional knowledge and other technologies to find solutions that may help society at large to cope with impending changes.

Northeast India’s indigenous groups have long been stewards of their environments, promoting climate change, fighting sustainable practices with the help of traditional knowledge. Their approaches provide creative solutions for environmental resilience and are based on centuries of observation and adaptation.

These communities serve as examples of how Indigenous knowledge may preserve ecological and cultural balance while addressing contemporary climate issues, such as water management and carbon sequestration.

The Khasi Tribe

The Khasi people of Meghalaya are renowned for their sacred groves, such as the Mawphlang and Law Lyngdoh, which are protected forest patches revered as spiritual sanctuaries. These groves, covering hundreds of hectares, act as carbon sinks, with studies estimating they store up to 200 tons of carbon per hectare.

By prohibiting logging, hunting, and even littering in these areas, the Khasis preserve biodiversity, including rare orchids and endemic species like the Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya). These forests stabilize soil on Meghalaya’s hilly terrain, reducing erosion during heavy monsoons, which are intensifying due to climate change.

The Khasi also practice agroforestry, integrating crops like broom grass (Thysanolaena latifolia) and betel nut with native trees. This approach maintains soil fertility, sequesters carbon, and provides sustainable income. In villages like Nongstoin,

Khasi farmers use contour planting to prevent runoff on slopes, preserving topsoil and reducing flood risks. Their community-led governance, through institutions like the Dorbar Shnong (village councils), ensures collective adherence to these practices, offering a scalable model for climate resilience.

The Garo Tribe

Jhum, or shifting cultivation, is practiced by the Garo people in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya with climate-smart modifications. Small forest sections are traditionally cleared for farming in jhum, and then the soil is restored through extended periods of fallow. The Garo have reduced fallow periods to 5–7 years and added nitrogen-fixing crops like pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) to combat climate-induced soil deterioration.

Fast-growing trees and bamboo are planted during fallows, which stabilize the soil and trap carbon. Bamboo is a resource that may be utilized for crafts and building, which helps local economy and lessens dependency on wood.

Through community agreements, the Garo also safeguard watersheds by outlawing practices that harm rivers, such as sand mining. Garo settlements in the UNESCO-designated Nokrek Biosphere Reserve preserve springs and streams by lining watercourses with trees, ensuring water security amid erratic rainfall. These efforts have preserved habitats for species like the red panda and maintained water availability for agriculture, demonstrating how Indigenous practices can mitigate drought and flooding risks.

The Apatani Tribe

In Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro Valley, the Apatani practice a unique wet rice cultivation system that integrates rice farming with fish rearing. Their terraced fields, irrigated by bamboo channels, use minimal water while yielding up to 5 tons of rice per hectare.

Fish like carp, reared in the paddies, provide protein and fertilize fields with their waste, creating a closed-loop system that avoids chemical inputs. This method reduces methane emissions compared to conventional rice farming and enhances resilience against climate variability.

The Apatani’s polyculture includes millet, maize, and vegetables alongside rice, ensuring food security despite unpredictable weather. Their forest management involves selective harvesting of trees like alder (Alnus nepalensis), which fix nitrogen and enrich soil.

In Ziro, Apatani farmers maintain azu (homestead gardens) with fruit trees and medicinal plants, preserving biodiversity and providing resources during climate-induced shortages. This integrated approach is a model for sustainable agriculture in vulnerable regions.

The Mishing Tribe

Along the Brahmaputra River in Assam is home to the Mishing tribe, who frequently experience flooding that is made worse by climate change. Communities can stay in flood-prone locations without having to relocate, thanks to their traditional stilt dwellings, which are raised on bamboo or wooden poles to guard against rising water.

These structures provide a sustainable housing option because they are made from locally sourced materials, have a small carbon footprint, and are easily repairable.

The Mishing cultivate deep-water rice varieties like bao dhan, which flourish in inundated areas, as part of their flood-resilient agricultural practices. On the river island of Majuli, people grow crops like pulses and mustard on elevated platforms known as chaporis that are always above flood levels.

The Mishing preserve food security and lessen reliance on outside inputs by employing traditional seed varieties and crop diversification. Fishing is also informed by their understanding of river ecology practices that avoid overexploitation, preserving aquatic biodiversity.

The Nyishis

The Nyishi of Arunachal Pradesh manage community forests to combat deforestation and climate change. In areas like Pakke, they protect forests through clan-based agreements, restricting logging and promoting reforestation with native species like Terminalia myriocarpa.

These forests act as carbon sinks and habitats for endangered species like the hornbill, whose populations have stabilized due to Nyishi conservation efforts. Their taboos against hunting certain animals, such as tigers, further support biodiversity.

The Nyishi also use traditional ecological knowledge to predict weather patterns, relying on indicators like bird migrations or plant flowering cycles. This helps them adapt planting schedules to shifting monsoons. In villages like Seijosa, they maintain sacred groves called Nibu Bane, which serve as micro-reserves for biodiversity and water conservation, ensuring resilience against droughts and heatwaves.

The Bodo Tribe

The Bodo of Assam leverage bamboo’s versatility to address climate challenges. In Kokrajhar, they construct flood-resistant homes and granaries using bamboo, which grows abundantly and sequesters carbon rapidly. Bamboo plantations also stabilize riverbanks along the Brahmaputra, reducing erosion during floods. The Bodo’s dokhona weaving tradition uses bamboo looms to produce textiles, supporting sustainable livelihoods without relying on high-carbon industries.

The Bodo manage wetlands like the Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site, by regulating fishing and harvesting aquatic plants sustainably. They use traditional knowledge to monitor water quality and maintain fish stocks, ensuring ecosystem health despite climate-driven changes in rainfall. Community-led patrols prevent illegal encroachments, preserving these wetlands as carbon sinks and biodiversity hubs.

Broader Impacts and Global Lessons

As an example of how Indigenous methods might confront climate change while maintaining cultural identities, consider the Khasi, Garo, Apatani, Mishing, Nyishi, and Bodo.

Their practices, like wetland management, community forestry, stilt dwellings, refined jhum, wet rice systems, and sacred groves, improve biodiversity, lower emissions, and increase resilience. Research demonstrates the efficacy of Indigenous managed lands in Northeast India, where deforestation rates are up to three times lower than in other regions.

Despite ongoing issues like industrialization and land encroachment, these tribes are adjusting by fusing innovation with tradition. For example, the Nyishi engage with wildlife trusts to monitor biodiversity, while the Mishing work with NGOs to create seed banks that are resistant to flooding.

Initiatives like the COP26 highlight land rights and Indigenous involvement, and global climate policies can learn from these community-driven approaches. $1.7billion pledge for Indigenous-led conservation.

Nilim Kashyap Borthakur is a final year student of Mass-Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.