The Nagaland Community Conserved Area Forum (NCCAF) has said that the Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023 “is not in the interest of the indigenous tribal communities of Nagaland as it challenges the land and forest rights of the people who have been its custodian since time immemorial.”
In a press release, NCCAF informed that it had convened an emergency General Body Meeting on Thursday at Tourist Lodge Dimapur where the members unanimously resolved to oppose The Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023.
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During the meeting which was presided over by NCCAF Chairman Heirang Lungalang, the members concluded that the ambiguous definitions and provisions of the Act puts the rights and security of the people at stake.
“It reiterated that indigenous communities from time immemorial have been the custodians of these lands and their forest, and in recent decades, communities in Nagaland have voluntarily come forward to take up conservation practices in their traditional ancestral lands to sustain and preserve the rich biodiversity resulting in the recognition and documentation of over 407 Community Conserved Areas in Nagaland which is one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots. However, the provisions of the Act could jeopardise the traditional land ownership, likewise, threaten the biodiversity and the ecological security of the region”, NCCAF stated.
The forum mentioned that the Forest Conservation Amendment Act allows all forest areas within 100 kms from “Borders” “or line of control,” or “line of actual control” for strategic projects of National importance and concerning National security, and Nagaland directly falls under these categories. Instead of encouraging the indigenous people who are voluntarily conserving the environment, this will certainly devastate their efforts.
NCCAF further said that the Act will weaken the decision and power of the state government, undermine community ownership of land and forest, and the village councils may become voiceless which may result in the extinction of the rich biodiversity of the indigenous people, and ancestral birthright be devastated, annihilated just for the sake of development and security reasons.
The forum said that imposing an Act to destroy the rich biodiversity the indigenous communities have been conserving since time immemorial was unimaginable.
It stated that the FCA “if unopposed and rejected by the people’s representatives” will expose the ancestral forest of the Nagas to arbitrary diversion and decisions of the Central government which is undemocratic and unacceptable.
The Forum therefore appealed to all Naga tribal organisations and village councils to take into account the seriousness of the matter and to stall it. NCCAF also appealed the organisations and councils to also take up the matter with their respective representatives, so that they will take up in the Nagaland State Legislative Assembly to reassert the age-old traditional ownership of land and forests.
