The Communities from Peren District felt the need to go for Eco-tour to some successful wildlife conservation site before it is too late. While realizing our responsibility entrusted by our Creator to conserve and protect our forest, land and water and coincidently the news of launching of Ecotourism at Baghmara by Samrakshan Trust has attracted to the Christian Association leaders and Community leaders. Therefore, the team geared up to South Garo Hills, Baghmara National Park on 4th Nov. 2010 and returned home on 8th Nov. it was an unforgettable experience an exciting adventure for leaders representing Zeliangrong Baptist Associations and Community leaders under Peren District. C-Cerp organized the trip with financial support from Foundation for Social Transformation and Nagaland State Planning Commission under Capacity Building Program.
Places visited are:-
1. Gongrot Eco Camp at Gongrot Aking( village)
2. Gongrot Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
3. Forest of Gongrot, Taidang and Rongreng stream.
4. Halwa Bilda Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
5. Panda Community Conservation Fish Sanctuary
6. Wagekona Forest Produce Processing Center, Wagekona
7. Halwa Ambeng Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
8. Baghmara and Baghmara Reserve Forest
At Baggmara we saw bountiful creation of God: the amazing virgin forest with friendly creatures such as leaches, fishes, crabs and other creatures swimming freely in the clear stream, enjoying the fertility of the wilderness and the flow of the natural stream unpolluted crystal clear water just fit to drink at the spot without filtration or boiling. No sign of threats by human activities or development programmes.
It is a fact that in Zeliangrong Nagas and the rest of the Naga communities are experiencing the shrinking of forest due to human activities for different reasons, the increasing water scarcity due to forest degradation, natural streams getting dried, frequent erosion taking place on the main roadsides the only life line for the far flung villages. Rivers and streams are eroding due to unexpected water current especially in rainy seasons. Pollution and poisoning of rivers, forest destruction due to human activities, greed, hunting for time past and enjoyment and above all different kinds of illegal activities which are affecting the ecology and encroachment are taking place within our region by our own Naga tribes in and around the Intangki National Park. Establishing villages, cutting trees and shrubs for commercial farms and cultivation site, etc. is a continuous practice. In fact it should have been effectively protected and conserved by the Government since the time of the first declaration as reserved forest in the year 1923.
It is a well known fact that to protect and save the Intanki National Park the concerned State Authorities, Civil Administration and the Judicial Authorities have played their best role a number of times to evict the illegal encroachers but seem to have failed miserably due to reasons which God only knows. Everyone seems to have forgotten that our Naga ancestors are ecologist and deem to have not understood the scriptural meaning that God has created us to be a caretaker of his creation and steward of conservation. The Indigenous traditional wisdom of conservation which was practiced by our ancestors and the command of God to be responsible environmental stewardship to protect God’s creation have been brushed aside unconsciously. It may be pertinent to mentioned that if Intanki National Park and other endangered species in our region are not saved it is going to affect not only our future generations but we are also failing our scriptural and moral duty and more so we are breaking our covenant with God as it is clearly written in Genesis 9:8-9 that God made an Eternal Covenant with the Different Species of Plants, Animals and with Noah. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living Creature on the earth." God made a covenant with Noah and for all generations to come
And if you read on in Genesis you will find again in verse 12-13. And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
At this juncture we are all aware of the alarming issues and problems caused to human health and our earth due to climate change which is the result of human greed beyond the needs. It is loud and clear for Environmental Concerned citizens that failing to stop the encroachment and dragging the judicial proceedings in the court for many years is all due to lack of political will. In other words it is failure of scriptural and moral duty and also breaking our covenant with God. If we have failed to be God’s steward in the past let us now reconcile with God and be His true Environmental Steward. Are you God’s steward? Are you ready to say NO to all kinds of destruction of natural resources? Let us stand up, move on and vote for God’s creation.
Places visited are:-
1. Gongrot Eco Camp at Gongrot Aking( village)
2. Gongrot Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
3. Forest of Gongrot, Taidang and Rongreng stream.
4. Halwa Bilda Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
5. Panda Community Conservation Fish Sanctuary
6. Wagekona Forest Produce Processing Center, Wagekona
7. Halwa Ambeng Community Conservation Reserve (Forest)
8. Baghmara and Baghmara Reserve Forest
At Baggmara we saw bountiful creation of God: the amazing virgin forest with friendly creatures such as leaches, fishes, crabs and other creatures swimming freely in the clear stream, enjoying the fertility of the wilderness and the flow of the natural stream unpolluted crystal clear water just fit to drink at the spot without filtration or boiling. No sign of threats by human activities or development programmes.
It is a fact that in Zeliangrong Nagas and the rest of the Naga communities are experiencing the shrinking of forest due to human activities for different reasons, the increasing water scarcity due to forest degradation, natural streams getting dried, frequent erosion taking place on the main roadsides the only life line for the far flung villages. Rivers and streams are eroding due to unexpected water current especially in rainy seasons. Pollution and poisoning of rivers, forest destruction due to human activities, greed, hunting for time past and enjoyment and above all different kinds of illegal activities which are affecting the ecology and encroachment are taking place within our region by our own Naga tribes in and around the Intangki National Park. Establishing villages, cutting trees and shrubs for commercial farms and cultivation site, etc. is a continuous practice. In fact it should have been effectively protected and conserved by the Government since the time of the first declaration as reserved forest in the year 1923.
It is a well known fact that to protect and save the Intanki National Park the concerned State Authorities, Civil Administration and the Judicial Authorities have played their best role a number of times to evict the illegal encroachers but seem to have failed miserably due to reasons which God only knows. Everyone seems to have forgotten that our Naga ancestors are ecologist and deem to have not understood the scriptural meaning that God has created us to be a caretaker of his creation and steward of conservation. The Indigenous traditional wisdom of conservation which was practiced by our ancestors and the command of God to be responsible environmental stewardship to protect God’s creation have been brushed aside unconsciously. It may be pertinent to mentioned that if Intanki National Park and other endangered species in our region are not saved it is going to affect not only our future generations but we are also failing our scriptural and moral duty and more so we are breaking our covenant with God as it is clearly written in Genesis 9:8-9 that God made an Eternal Covenant with the Different Species of Plants, Animals and with Noah. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living Creature on the earth." God made a covenant with Noah and for all generations to come
And if you read on in Genesis you will find again in verse 12-13. And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
At this juncture we are all aware of the alarming issues and problems caused to human health and our earth due to climate change which is the result of human greed beyond the needs. It is loud and clear for Environmental Concerned citizens that failing to stop the encroachment and dragging the judicial proceedings in the court for many years is all due to lack of political will. In other words it is failure of scriptural and moral duty and also breaking our covenant with God. If we have failed to be God’s steward in the past let us now reconcile with God and be His true Environmental Steward. Are you God’s steward? Are you ready to say NO to all kinds of destruction of natural resources? Let us stand up, move on and vote for God’s creation.
Liangsi Niumai John,
Director, C-Cerp, Dimapur.
