Mon, October 8 (MExN): The State Level Wildlife Week 2025 was celebrated in Mon Town, Nagaland on October 7. The ceremony, held at the Konyak Union Hall under the theme ‘human animal coexistence’, was jointly organised by Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Konyak Union.
The event saw a convergence of community leaders, government officials and citizens. Other present were Wennyei Konyak, NCS, DC Mon, Kanchan Kumar Kandpal, IPS, SP Mon, Konyak Union members, Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong (KNSK), Konyak Students’ Union, Village Council representatives from 110 villages and 32 federating units of Konyak Union and various civil societies including police and administration.
CL John, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change & Village Guards, attended as the special guest, while Y Mankhao Konyak, MLA & DPDB Chairman, Mon, was the special invitee. The event was chaired by Vedpal Singh, IFS, PCCF & Head of Forest Force.
In his keynote address, CL John called for concrete action. He urged the Konyak Students’ Union to lead the way by taking up and promoting conservation through community participation.
Giving an overview of the landscape under Mon District for green corridors he called upon for strategic planning and actionable points through such a gathering and asked the Village Councils to actively contribute towards conservation by checking rampant hunting and fishing.
He called for more villages to come forward to set aside forest areas for conservation for a larger collective impact in order to ensure environmental security through clean air and water for a healthy life.
Y Mankhao Konyak, the special invitee, urged the gathering for a new beginning in conservation efforts and pressed on how it was a duty for all citizens to protect this earth by maintaining a healthy ecological balance. Wennyei Konyak, NCS, DC Mon encouraged all to embrace conservation of wildlife starting from change within oneself.
Kanchan Kumar Kandpal, IPS, SP Mon highlighted how wildlife conservation activities in schools during Wildlife week can make an impact on the overall awareness later on in life and also cited examples of how conservation movements can form a distinct identity like the Bishnoi movement where the village community sacrificed their lives to protect trees from being cut.
Yamao Konyak, President, Konyak Union highlighted on the resolutions passed by the union in terms of protection and conservation of wildlife and also the need for creating green corridors connecting wildlife habitats.
Speeches were also delivered by KNSK and the Konyak Students Union whereby it was reiterated that all sections of the society work together to combat climate change and strive for environmental security by protecting our biodiversity.
Chairperson Vedpal Singh highlighted the immense potential of wildlife tourism in Nagaland citing examples in other states where ecotourism sustains the livelihoods of the local people. Invocation was led by Peter, Pastor, Techa and Jahjon Fellowship, Mon Town and a brief presentation on why conservation was relevant to Nagaland was given by H Tokaho Kinimi, IFS, Wildlife Warden Dimapur.
A presentation was also made by H Tokaho Kinimi, IFS, Wildlife Warden Dimapur, on the relevance of conservation in Nagaland.
