Rethinking Conservation in Northeast India

Rethinking Conservation in Northeast India

NAYANIKA DUTTA

As the world commemorated Rhino Day this September, Assam‘s renowned Kaziranga once again served as a symbol of India’s achievements in conservation. Its presence reminds us to celebrate the fruits of impact-oriented efforts as the one-horned rhinoceros recovers from the threat of extinction. Saving a single species is only the beginning, as the real challenge lies in protecting the complex web of forests, rivers and communities that sustain life in Northeast India.

According to Assamese customs and traditions, and the indigenous culture, rhinos are more than just animals. As a guardian of the forests and a symbol of the close connection between nature and culture, it is revered as ‘Gohona’, a precious jewel of the region. Its presence reminds us that conservation in this region cannot just be reduced to numbers alone but it also entails respecting the spiritual, culturaland ecological role the species plays for the people of the region.

This takes us back to the incident of alone female rhino who was seen sleeping near a roadside tea stall on National Highway 37 during the terrible 2019 floods, worn out from swimming through the floodwaters. Although the picture went viral, it actually highlighted how unstable life is in this area, both for people and wildlife. Yet, on the positive side in reaffirmed the fact that communities live in harmony with nature. The people from the nearby village and the forest officials gathered around the rhino to ensure its safety until it peacefully returned to the forest.

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Or consider the case of the hoolock gibbons, swinging between Assam and Arunachal’s dwindling forest patches. Fragmented by highways and tea estates, gibbon families are often stranded, unable to cross even a 20‑meter gap in the canopy that once connected their home. Their predicament serves as a reminder that when infrastructure expansion ignores ecological realities, it destroys not only the forests but a larger ecologically secure future. Similarly, the Golden Mahseer, or rather called the Tiger of the Himalayan Rivers, faces mounting threats from dams, overfishing, and habitat degradation. These iconic freshwater fish are now struggling to survive, highlighting how unchecked development and ecological disruption jeopardize aquatic ecosystems as well, and with them, the livelihoods and cultural practices of river-dependent communities.

These are not isolated incidents. They highlight the delicate relationships that exist in Northeast India between communities, rivers, forestsand wildlife. Conservation in this context must entail incorporating indigenous knowledge systems that have safeguarded community forests for ages, bringing young people into classrooms where forests themselves serve as textbooks, and listening to the narratives of forest-fringe communities whose harvests are ravaged by elephants, serve as insights into the ground realities of environmental and socio-economic realities.

We require a new compact, one in which communities, scientists, and policymakers are seated at the same table. Forest rights must become a reality rather than just a theoretical promise. Empathy needs to be cultivated in schools just as much as employability. Technology should be used as a bridge to connect real-time data with the lived experiences of communities who first-hand witness the changing rivers and forests.

The future of Northeast India will depend on how successfully we balance human needs with environmental preservation. The future of Northeast India will depend on how successfully we balance human requirements with environmental preservation. Given the interconnectedness of ecology and economy, securing biodiversity is the most effective way to build resilience, preserveculture and generate sources for livelihood.

We face a clear choice: to see conservation as a daily, lived commitment that recognizes the deep interconnection between people and nature, or to treat it as a series of isolated campaigns marked by awareness days and slogans. By embracing the former, Northeast India can show the world a true model of coexistence between communities and the natural world.

Nayanika Dutta from BALIPARA FOUNDATION about herself : A Post-Graduate in Geopolitics and International Relations, offering experiences and abilities in research and writing. Committed towards developing career path and work experience. Highly organized and capable of multi-tasking. Detail oriented, creative problem solver and well versed with Microsoft applications. Eager to learn and deliver my best at a practical, competitive setting.

30-09-2025

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