Despite being rich in flora and fauna, none of the North-Eastern states have so far taken any measures to preserve the wildlife of the region. In an endeavour to conserve the wildlife of Nagaland, a fortnight-long awareness campaign was held in Kohima recently. The campaign was launched with the release of a book authored by Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury on the birds of Nagaland. The book was released on the occasion of

Sekrenyi, the most important festival of the Angami Nagas. Nagaland Tourism Association and people’s Group (an NGO) also supported the campaign. The book has been distributed free to the gaon burhas (village heads) and some other select people as part of the campaign. The gaon burhas in Nagaland are among the most respected persons in the villages and without their active participation, no conservation is possible. Posters on conservation were also distributed freely in the villages. Dr Choudhury had earlier visited many remote villages in Phek, Kiphire and Zunheboto districts between 1996-2001 and held awareness meetings.

In Nagaland, conservation awareness is on the rise in recent years and ‘Community Conserved Areas’ have been set up in many villages. Meanwhile, Nagaland Government has issued an order, cancelling the leaves of all its employees from April 1, in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. An official release said  that employees cannot enjoy any kind of leave.

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