PRESS RELEASE
On 21st September 2024, the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) of Changlangshu village in Mon district, Nagaland, organised the launch event of the Minleang Eco-Club for youth-led eco-restoration and conservation in the area. Minleang Eco-Club is the new "youth-wing" of the Changlangshu BMC, with 23 members from each khel in the village, who are also high school students from two local schools.
Members of the Minleang-Eco Club, including Eco-Club leaders H Eangba and Leyan Monyu and mentor Wanmai Konyak. Image by Nayantara Siruguri.
The Changlangshu BMC, led by wildlife conservationist and filmmaker Wanmai Konyak, has been working on restoring community forests around the village. They currently have a restoration site of around 5 hectares, surrounded by community reserves, where they maintain a nursery and plant native saplings throughout the year.
Since last year, the BMC has been collaborating with Green Hub Project and Canopy Collective to start a place-based nature education program, aiming to involve the youth and children of the village in their eco-restoration efforts. As part of this program, young nature educators from the village, H Eangba and Angki Konyak, have been conducting nature education and engagement sessions with children based on local ecology and culture, with support from conservation practitioner Nayantara Siruguri.
With film screenings, talks, and musical performances from local artists, the Minleang Eco-Club was launched in the presence of Head Gaon Burah BN Wanmai, Changlangshu Baptist Church Pastor Manlem Konyak, Youth Pastor Nokshen Konyak, Major Devendra from 29 Assam Rifles Changlangshu Post, W Moba Konyak, BDO of Tobu, and BMC members. More than 600 community members, including youth and children, also attended the launch event. The films screened covered stories of conservation from different parts of Nagaland and the Northeast, as well as stories focusing on important species such as hornbill and pangolin.
BMC members and organisers of the Minleang Eco-Club launch event in Changlangshu. Image by Bomjar Boje.
The Minleang Eco-Club is named after Minleangkang, one of the highest mountains in the area, also where the BMC eco-restoration site is located. The student members of the Eco-Club will be engaged in four kinds of activities throughout the year: learning about plants from eco-restoration and nursery maintenance, conservation awareness and engagement sessions in the village, activity sessions in their respective schools, and recreational and adventure-based activities. They will be led by nature educators from the village: H Eangba, Leyan Monyu, and Angki Konyak.
The day after the launch, the BMC also organised an introductory team-building session for the new eco-enthusiasts at the restoration site. Donning their new Minleang Eco-Club t-shirts, the new members participated in engaging activities, appointed their activity representatives, and mapped out their plans for the next few months.
The Changlangshu BMC hopes that the youth-led Minleang Eco-Club will encourage the youth to develop a deep interest in eco-restoration and conservation, help them actively participate in the BMC's efforts, and create opportunities for future leadership for conservation in the village.
This press release was published in newspapers (digital and print) in Nagaland, including the Morung Express, Nagaland Post, and Nagaland Page.
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