[Karyir Riba]
ROING, 24 Dec: The Idu Mishmi Cultural and Literary Society (IMCLS) raised serious objections to the alleged unauthorised entry, bio-survey and relocation of a Schedule-I hoolock gibbon family from private Idu Mishmi tribal land at Horu Pahar in Lower Dibang Valley district without the knowledge and consent of landowners, villagers or customary institutions.
The society has also objected to the portrayal of the relocation as a ‘rescue’ in a report published in this daily on 6 December, stating that “the gibbons were neither stranded nor endangered, and that such narratives undermine indigenous conservation systems.”
“The relocation was undertaken without baseline ecological or behavioral studies, and no post-relocation monitoring data has been shared with the community, raising concerns over the safety of the gibbon family,” the IMCLS claimed.
It said, “Reportedly, the relocation was carried out between 1 and 3 December 2025. The land involved is private tribal land governed by customary ownership and community institutions, where consent of landowners and villagers is mandatory and that any intervention on such land requires free, prior and informed consent, which was not obtained.”
The society further stated that “under the Idu Mishmi cultural ethic of ‘misu miri,’ once a species is culturally designated, causing harm to it is strictly forbidden. This customary system has ensured longstanding coexistence and protection of wildlife, including the gibbon family, which had lived safely for generations within village forests.”
“These actions amount to violations of multiple statutory safeguards applicable to tribal land, community forest governance and wildlife protection. These include the Forest Rights Act 2006, which recognises community forest resource rights and prohibits any diversion, relocation or intervention without the free, prior and informed consent of the gram sabha, the Biological Diversity Act 2002, which mandates prior informed consent of local and indigenous communities for access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, and the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which does not permit translocation of a Schedule-I species from private or community land without lawful authority, scientific justification, due process and community participation,”
They added that “the absence of consent, statutory clearance, baseline ecological assessment and post-relocation monitoring renders the relocation legally untenable and procedurally flawed.”
“The fact that the relocation was carried out without consent from villagers, landowners or the IMCLS-Research Ethics Review Board, despite repeated communication to the Forest Department and personnel of the Wildlife Trust of India regarding the applicability of community protocols, reflects a broader pattern of disregard for community consent in Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley districts, evident in proposed tiger reserve declarations, eco-sensitive zones, notifications of Village Reserve Forests and Reserve Forests, CAMPA projects and similar interventions,” the society said.
The apex body of the community demanded an immediate halt to further wildlife relocations from Idu Mishmi villages and community lands, an end to portraying gibbons as ‘rescued’ in ways that depict indigenous livelihoods as harmful, meaningful dialogue with the IMCLS-Research Ethics Review Board and villagers before any intervention, recognition of community-based conservation, and mandatory adherence to Idu Mishmi ethical and consent protocols under the Idu Mishmi Code of Research Ethics.
The IMCLS stated that formal legal notices have been served on the Divisional Forest Officer, concerned Forest Department officials, and the Wildlife Trust of India, seeking accountability and reserving the right to pursue appropriate legal remedies.
