Foundation for Ecological Security

Strategic Partnership Grant 2018

Project Name:

Ensure protection of endangered and threatened species in three selected landscapes of Nagaland

Project Brief:

The project is aimed at supporting conservation of endangered and vulnerable species in the community managed forests of Nagaland, reducing habitat fragmentation and habitat degradation as well as improving the connectivity of species’ habitat. The project is designed to understand and improve the protection status of targeted species as well as their habitats through evidence- based informed actions and improved management of the community forests. The project will seek to strengthen the management of Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) through evolving long- term species habitat and conservation plans, evidence-based research and studies, building multi- stakeholders platforms to develop species conservation plans of the three landscapes (comprising of 26 Community Conserved Areas) and designing community- based species habitat monitoring mechanism.

Project objectives:
  • Safeguard endangered and threatened species in the selected landscapes through strengthening the governance and management of Community Conserved Areas in Nagaland.
  • Build and enhance evidence- based knowledge and information on the habitat status of endangered and vulnerable species in the landscape.
  • Evolve landscape- level federations and strengthen multi-stakeholders engagement for improved conservation and monitoring.
Highlights from field:
  • Through the grant, FES has aided more than 26 CCAs across the three landscapes to protect four target species - Chinese pangolin, western Hoolock gibbon, great Indian hornbill and Blyth's tragopan; and their habitats by banning hunting and improving the management of the community forests.
  • Species mapping and assessment has been undertaken for the 26 CCAs along with the development of biodiversity registers. FES has also carried out a study to understand the biodiversity abundance, vegetation and biomass in fallow jhum lands.
  • FES has received the 7th ‘Enabling North-East Award’ 2019-2020 under the Biodiversity & Natural Resources Management category, for strengthening governance and management of CCAs in Nagaland.
  • District level workshops and multiple webinars have been conducted on conservation of threatened species in the North-East.
  • FES is in the process of finishing the development of a landscape conservation plan for implementation across the 3 project landscapes covering the 26 target CCAs.