Shillong, May 23: In a robust push toward ecological preservation and community-led environmental stewardship, the North East Society For Agroecology Support (NESFAS), in collaboration with the Meghalaya Biodiversity Board (MBB), commemorated the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) at Karukol community, South Garo Hills.
The event, structured around the impactful theme “Acting Locally for Global Impact,” successfully brought together various stakeholders: local government administrators, forest conservation experts, community leaders and the youth to address the urgent need for protecting regional ecosystems.
Speaking as the Chief Guest, Shri Chengreng D. Sangma, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Baghmara and Siju Block, delivered a compelling address connecting biological survival to the preservation of indigenous culture. He observed that global conservation strategies are empty without daily action rooted at home.
“Biodiversity loss is often accelerated not just by environmental degradation, but by the systemic loss of indigenous languages,” Shri Sangma stated. “When a community forgets the traditional names of plants in their local dialects, they lose the generational knowledge of its medicinal properties, its history, and its ecological place of origin.”
He passionately urged the student community to preserve and actively use the traditional A·chik and A·tong dialects when identifying regional flora, highlighting that language is a vital repository of conservation data.
Highlighting the structural history of global green governance, Shri Eliazer Ch. Momin, Baghmara Range Officer, traced the lineage of the IDB back to its United Nations origins in 1972 and the formation of the landmark Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as the first unified international agreement to safeguard global ecosystems.
Bringing a wealth of fieldwork experience to the forum, Shri Momin utilised local wildlife dynamics to illustrate complex ecological dependencies.
He shared that protecting forests also means protecting elephants, whose daily survival and movement help regenerate forests by dispersing seeds and rebuilding biodiversity.
Shri Bethuel G. Momin, the Nokma (Traditional Chief) of Rongchekgre, emphasised that biodiversity management cannot be viewed through an anthropocentric lens. He reminded the gathering that forests are a shared habitat where human wellness is deeply dependent on the equilibrium of all coexisting faunal and floral populations.
Emphasising the role of the next generation, Shri Betroy M. Sangma, Principal of Karukol Higher Secondary School, invoked the environmental philosophy of former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He underscored that individual tree-planting initiatives are a core civic duty, charging each student to plant and mindfully nurture at least one tree to actively restore natural habitats for local wildlife.
A pivotal segment of the day featured an exhibition showcasing indigenous wild edible plants, forest fruits, and rare medicinal flora. The exhibition served as an interactive masterclass on traditional knowledge management:
Demonstrating the living nature of this knowledge, a student from Karukol Higher Secondary School presented an insightful brief on indigenous plants used historically by local households for accelerated wound healing.
Transitioning from advocacy to direct implementation, the post-formal program featured an intensive capacity-building workshop dedicated to the local Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC).
The technical session was facilitated by Lianchi Sangma, Project Assistant at MBB (Garo Hills division). The workshop focused on empowering committee members with the strategic framework, documentation methodologies, and statutory parameters required to maintain accurate People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), ensuring local traditional knowledge is legally protected and ecologically monitored.
