Kohima: Nagaland lost approximately 794.88 square kilometers of forest cover between 2013 and 2023, according to Y. Kikheto Sema, the principal secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department. Addressing the International Day for Biological Diversity in Peren, Sema warned that climate change has become a critical survival issue rather than just an environmental concern.
Sema cited data from the India State of Forest Report, noting that an additional 235 square kilometers of forest were lost between 2019 and 2021. He highlighted that while the state sits within the ecologically vital Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, it faces mounting threats from deforestation, pollution, forest fires, soil erosion, and the unsustainable extraction of natural resources.
Because over 95 percent of land and forests in Nagaland are community-owned, Sema emphasized that successful conservation requires a partnership between the government and local residents. He specifically pointed to Article 371A, which grants local control over land and resources, as a mandate for the people to act as stewards of their own environment for future generations.
To combat these trends, officials are calling for local-level actions such as community clean-ups, tree planting, and the sustainable use of natural resources. Sema encouraged students and youth to serve as ambassadors for nature by adopting sustainable lifestyles and contributing to the documentation of local resources through People’s Biodiversity Registers.
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