KISAMA, DECEMBER 10 (MExN): In a significant step for community-driven conservation, the Yimkhiung Naga community of Thanamir village in Kiphire district on Tuesday launched a new pocket bird guide titled ‘Meramkhanvong Wuhnupo | Birds of Meramkhanvong’ at the Hornbill Festival.
The guide was released at the Yimkhiung Morung by MLA and Advisor for Fire and Emergency Services, Home Guard, Civil Defence, Relief and Rehabilitation, S. Kiusumew. This marks the first time that residents of Thanamir are officially representing the Yimkhiung Naga community at the Hornbill Festival.
Thanamir, located beneath Meramkhanvong (Mt. Saramati), Nagaland’s highest peak at 3,842 metres and considered the ancestral homeland of the Yimkhiung Naga, has long protected its forests through customary law and cultural ties to the land. Since 2020, the Meramvong Conservation Programme—led by residents in partnership with the Village Council, researchers, and organisations including the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)—has enhanced forest governance and biodiversity documentation in the region.
Addressing the launch event, the Advisor encouraged community-based researchers to “go beyond boundaries” to strengthen awareness on conservation and preservation. He also congratulated them for their efforts in creating a source of knowledge for the younger generation.
150 species featured
The pocket guide features 150 bird species commonly found in and around Thanamir, one of Nagaland’s most vibrant bird habitats. The publication builds on community-led monitoring that has recorded more than 300 species in the village since 2021—nearly half of Nagaland’s known bird species and more than one-fifth of all birds found in India—placing Thanamir among the state’s richest local bird repositories.
Celebrating culture and conservation
The guide also seeks to promote wider community engagement in documenting local bird names, oral histories and ancestral stories—cultural knowledge that is increasingly vulnerable as languages and practices evolve. The initiative reinforces Nagaland’s unique system of community-led forest governance, under which villages hold constitutional rights to manage their forests.
Youth-driven illustrations
The publication includes hand-drawn illustrations by self-taught youth artists from the Yimkhiung community. The artwork, rooted in local knowledge and creativity, is accompanied by cultural narratives that reflect traditional relationships with the birds of Meramkhanvong.
Nagaland is home to more than 800 Community Conserved Areas (CCAs), a model that distinguishes the state nationally. The launch of the guide underscores how Indigenous stewardship, scientific monitoring and cultural knowledge can combine to strengthen resilient, community-led conservation at a time when climate pressures are reshaping ecosystems across the country.
