Programme Officer for Natural Sciences and Secretary, SACAM (South & Central Asia MAB Network) UNESCO Dr. Ram Boojh and advisor UNESCO ML Rao called on chief minister T.R. Zeliang on January 24 to apprise him of the progress of UNESCO initiatives being undertaken in Nagaland.
The officials who were on four-day visit to Nagaland, from January 22-25 also requested the support of the State Government towards UNESCO. The meeting was also attended by minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Nicky Kire and NLA speaker Chotisuh Sazo, besides other senior officers of Forest Department and the CMO.
It may be mentioned that pre-feasibility studies had been undertaken in 2016 for designating Dzukou Valley and Doyang Valley as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
The Feasibility report submitted to UNESCO also included Saramati Range, to be taken up at a later stage. These areas have been identified taking into consideration the uniqueness, the rich biodiversity and also the initiatives shown by the community in conserving biodiversity, which could be a model for the rest of India and the world.
Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is taking this initiative in collaboration with UNESCO, recognising the role of the communities in conserving biodiversity in Nagaland, bearing in mind that many such areas in Nagaland are owned by the communities.
The next stage is to prepare a dossier with concrete plans in collaboration with Government of Nagaland, Government of India and UNESCO. Besides bringing recognition and strengthening the conservation efforts in Nagaland, the objective is to also link conservation with sustainable development of the local communities.
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