[ Yomli Mayi ]
It was at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16) held in Bangkok, Thailand, that it was formally proposed designating 3 March as a day to celebrate and raise awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora. Later, on 20 December, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially passed a resolution designating 3 March as World Wildlife Day.
The precursor was the birth of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) on 3 March, 1973, for the protection wildlife, ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. This year’s theme is ‘Medicinal and aromatic plants: Conserving health, heritage and livelihoods’.
A global biodiversity hotspot
A global diversity hotspot falls within one of four global biodiversity hotspots of India, the ‘Indo-Burma region’. Our state proudly stands as a beacon of natural wonder, recognised globally as a biodiversity hotspot for its extraordinary variety of life. Covering about 83,743 square kilometres, over 79% of the state is forested, with very dense, moderately dense, and open forests forming a vibrant mosaic that supports ecosystems from tropical lowlands to alpine heights.
The state’s protected area network, spanning 11.89% of its land, includes the Dihang-Dibang biosphere reserve, emphasising its role in global conservation. Here, biodiversity isn’t abstract; it’s the heartbeat of communities who rely on these forests for sustenance and culture. As development accelerates with infrastructure like highways and hydropower, we must sustain this hotspot thoughtfully, ensuring that sustainable practices preserve its irreplaceable value for generations.
Arunachal’s forests are full of life, hosting an astonishing array of flora and fauna that make it a living museum of nature’s creativity. Among its floral gems are more than 600 orchid species, celebrated in sanctuaries like the Sessa orchid sanctuary, where rare blooms thrive. The state’s fauna is equally captivating: majestic tigers roam in reserves like Namdapha and Pakke, while endangered hoolock gibbons swing through the deep forests, and slow lorises hide in the deep jungles. Elephants, numbering around 1,614 (about 5% of India’s total), migrate through corridors, alongside leopards and great Indian hornbills, with their striking beaks. High-altitude wonders include red pandas and musk deer, while aquatic diversity boasts 143 fish species and 39 amphibians. In places like the Mouling National Park, this balance of genetic and ecological features exemplifies nature’s harmony.
These species aren’t just inhabitants; they’re threads in the cultural fabric of local tribes, reminding us of the interdependence that sustains all of us together.
Major threats
While wildlife thrives in the state’s lush green forests, it faces numerous challenges. Human activities, though aimed at progress, can unintentionally harm these precious beings. Rapid development, including highways, dams and urban expansion, leads to habitat fragmentation, roadkills, and river ecosystem disruptions, isolating a huge number of wildlife. Jhum, a traditional practice, sometimes sparks uncontrolled forest fires. Poaching, encroachment, and human-wildlife conflicts add pressure, with elephants and leopards venturing near settlements, lead to unfortunate clashes. Climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities, altering habitats and increasing wildfire risks.
These threats to wildlife require a deep realisation among the people and communities that development is essential for social upliftment, but sustainable approaches can minimise harm, protecting the wildlife that beautify forests.
Key conservation efforts
Our commitment to conservation is seen through expansive protected areas and dedicated efforts, creating safe zones where wildlife can flourish alongside human progress. We are deeply committed to wildlife protection, with 13 wildlife sanctuaries, two national parks (Mouling and Namdapha), three tiger reserves (Namdapha, Pakke, and Kamlang), two elephant reserves (Kameng and South Arunachal), and nine community reserves covering 9,779 square kilometres – nearly 12% of the state. The state government actively supports this through Project Tiger and Project Elephant, which focus on habitat protection, anti-poaching measures, and community involvement in the tiger and elephant reserves. The Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats Scheme further aids habitat restoration and overall management across protected areas.
Under the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), funds are used for compensatory afforestation with native species, fire prevention, moisture conservation, and restoration of degraded lands to strengthen forest resilience. The Dihang-Dibang biosphere reserve safeguards high-altitude ecosystems through careful management and community participation. With 1,806 biodiversity management committees established under the Biological Diversity Act, local communities are empowered to regulate sustainable resource use and raise awareness. The state action flan on forest fires (2023-2028) works to minimise major threats through prevention, early detection, and community-led strategies.
Most recently, the Arunachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) 2025-2035 has been launched as a truly people-centric ‘people’s plan’, aligned with the Pakke Declaration, to promote habitat protection, species conservation, sustainable use, equitable benefit-sharing, and district-level actions rooted in our local knowledge. Places like Eaglenest and Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary quietly protect orchids, birds, and butterflies through community-led ecotourism that supports livelihoods while fostering respect for nature. These gentle, collaborative efforts weave together science, tradition, and genuine care, ensuring that the state’s wildlife continues to thrive alongside the progress that benefits its people.
Indigenous roles
In Arunachal, the local communities are the true guardians of the forests, their deep-rooted knowledge and traditions play a protective role over the land. Tribes like the Bugun in Eaglenest Sanctuary lead conservation, discovering species like the Bugun liocichla and promoting ecotourism that sustains livelihoods. The ‘Elopa-Etugu Eco-Cultural Preserve’ in Lower Dibang valley protects sacred groves, and community reserves reflect the Mishmi community’s their reverence for nature, preserving biodiversity through customary laws. The hornbill nest adoption programme (Pakke) by the Nyishi community, who once hunted hornbills for their casques (beaks) for traditional headgear, are now their ‘nest protectors’. Managed by the Ghora-Aabhe Society and the Nature Conservation Foundation, urban ‘foster parents’ pay local villagers to guard nests. As of 2025, the programme has successfully fledged over 238 hornbill chicks. It is a primary reason why Pakke is now a world-renowned hornbill heaven.
Under policies like the Biological Diversity Act, the Biodiversity Management Committees empower locals to regulate resource use and foster awareness. Their role in high-altitude conservation and elephant corridors highlights a harmonious bond, showing how respecting indigenous voices strengthens our collective care for wildlife.
Persistent challenges
Despite strides, Arunachal’s conservation path holds gentle reminders of ongoing hurdles that call for continued empathy and action. Forest fires, fuelled by shifting cultivation, the disruption caused by heavy unsustainable infrastructure development – be it roads, dams and any other project that requires major afforestation – and climate change remain a top threat, demanding resilient strategies. Encroachments and poaching strain protected areas, while human-wildlife conflicts rise with habitat loss from infrastructure. Climate impacts, like altered rainfall, affect species like orchids and elephants. Balancing development vital for communities with conservation requires inclusive policies.
Call for action
To all of us as individuals: let’s plant native trees, reduce waste, report poaching, join airgun surrender, adopt sustainable daily habits. To the community as a group, strengthen biodiversity management committees, protect sacred groves, practice fire-safe jhum, promote ecotourism, involve all voices. As youths – the nation’s backbone – let us lead awareness campaigns on social media/school, volunteer for wildlife monitoring, advocate green incentives, share indigenous wisdom. To the government, enforce stricter policies on sustainable development, expand protected areas, fund anti-poaching tech, integrate climate resilience in plans, collaborate with local rural habitants.
To the citizens at large: support conservation votes, boycott illegal wildlife products, participate in public consultations, educate neighbours on biodiversity’s value. To all the CBOs, organise habitat restoration drives at your local places, mediate human-wildlife conflicts, build early warning systems in collaboration with the forest department, partner with NGOs for training.
And to all the other stakeholders: fund eco-projects and research, adopt green practices in hydropower/tourism, study threats and share data for informed actions.
It is our fundamental duty under Article 51A (g) of the Constitution to protect and preserve wildlife. Pick up any of the above call for action and start working on it in your capacity and we shall have brighter future. Let’s us take a vow on this day to work to conserve our wildlife from further degradation like the Bugun’s guardianship and Nyishi’s hornbill protection, and the state’s efforts such as the SBSAP. Our challenges persist, but so does our hope. (The contributor is an independent observer)
