Nagaland’s effort in community-centric nature conservation was highlighted in the ongoing United Nations Conference being held from 6 to 18 November in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Nagaland’s team is being led by Dharmendra Prakash, IFS, PCCF & Head of Forest Force, Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He is accompanied by M Senthil Kumar, IFS and Dr Atoho Jakhalu, Climate Studies & Knowledge Solutions Centre, Department of Science & Technology, Nagaland.

Dharmendra Prakash, IFS, was a keynote speaker and spoke on the topic of ‘Community-Centric Indigenous Knowledge and Practices for Forest Governance and Natural Resource Management for Climate, Conservation and Sustainable Development in Nagaland, India’.

He spoke on community initiatives in nature conservation in Nagaland, and how the government is reaching out to communities by incentivisation of such community initiatives.

He said Nagaland is a pioneer in community conservation and that the Naga way of life revolves around forests.

Speaking to Nagaland Tribune, Dharmendra Prakash said: “I had the honour to be a keynote speaker in the ongoing COP 27 at Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on 15 November 2022. An engaging audience and plethora of questions added value to the session. We essentially focussed on Nagaland’s experiments in Natural Resource Management with thrust on communities’ initiatives.”

He added, “It is an honour for all of us. No doubt, people of Nagaland had a voice at international summit. The international community acknowledges Nagaland’s contributions to conservation and a lifestyle which is in sync with nature.”

The 27th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP) to UNFCCC started on Sunday. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is leading the Indian delegation at the conference which will run from 6 to 8 November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

One hundred and ninety-eight parties to UNFCCC gather once a year to discuss how to jointly address climate change.