IPSI Case Study Summary Sheet
Basic Information
Title of case study
Mainstreaming Community-Conserved Areas (CCAs) for biodiversity conservation in SEPLS- A case study fromNagaland, India
Submitting IPSI member organization(s)The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)Other contributing organization(s) (IPSI members and/or non-members)
Author(s) and affiliation(s)Siddharth Edake, Pia Sethi, and Yatish Lele, Centre for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, TERI

Format of case study

Manuscript

Language

English(manuscript or audiovisual)

Keywords
CCA; Tizu valley; Sema community; Zunheboto; Nagaland
Date of submission (or update, if this is an update of an existing 13 December 2019case study)

Web link (of the case study orlead organization if available formore information)

https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:7506/SITR_vol5_fullset_web.pdf#page=1
79

Geographical Information
Country (where site(s) or activities described in the case study are located – can be multiple, or even “global”)
India
Location(s) (within the country or countries – leave blank if specific location(s) cannot be identified)
Zunheboto, NagalandLongitude/latitude or Google Maps link (if location is identified)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/25%C2%B050'00.0%22N+94%C2%B031'00.0%22E/@25.8333333,94.51447
8,10z/
Ecosystem(s)Forestx
Grassland
Agriculturalx
In-land water
CoastalOther(PleaseDryland
Mountainx
Urban/peri-urbanspecify)

Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area
The state of Nagaland in India, which is a part of both the Indo-Burma and Himalaya biodiversity hotspots, has a forest coverof 12,486 km² that accounts for 75.31% of the state’s total geographical area. It also supports remarkable floral and faunal
diversity with high levels of endemism. Naga tribes who inhabit Nagaland follow customary laws and procedures, and theircustomary rights are protected under Article 371 A of the Constitution of India. These customary laws are plural in natureand differ from tribe to tribe and village to village.

Description of human-nature interactions in the area
As per the customary rights, the majority of natural habitats are owned and managed by individuals and clans overseen byvillage and district councils and other traditional institutions. But, in the absence of alternative livelihood options, most of theeconomic activity in the villages is based upon utilization of natural resources leading to over exploitation of forest resources.
Wildlife hunting has always been a way of life for the Naga tribes, but rampant and unregulated hunting has seriously
depleted wildlife populations. Nevertheless, traditional conservation practices help protect biodiversity.

Contents
Status (“ongoing” or “completed”)
Completed
Period (MM/YY to MM/YY)
Rationale (why activities or policies described, or information shared in the case study are needed)
The motivations for declaring the Community-Conserved Areas (CCA) appear to be multiple—foremost being
concern for forest degradation, followed by declining numbers of key wildlife species due to hunting and water
scarcity. However, CCAs face numerous challenges in their creation, effectiveness and sustainability and require
sustained efforts for their conservation. This case study highlights the importance of Community-Conserved
Areas (CCAs) in the socio-ecological production landscape (SEPL) of Nagaland in India.
Objectives (goals of activities or policies described, or of producing the case study)
A pilot scale project was initiated in the three villages of Sukhai, Kivikhu and Ghukhuyi in Zunheboto district ofNagaland, which aimed at creating and linking Community-Conserved Areas across the landscape and supporting
conservation through livelihood creation. The model adopted aimed at strengthening the resilience of thesemountain communities and their forests by rejuvenating traditional conservation practices and providing
supplementary livelihoods.
Activities and/or practices employed

Activities included compiling information on Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK), developing long-term
ecological monitoring mechanisms, motivation and sensitization on landscape conservation and capacity
building of the community members in biodiversity identification, documentation and monitoring, as well as
promoting ecotourism as a livelihood option.
Results
Today, the project has yielded positive results in terms of sustainable use of biological resources by adopting long-termsustainability, enhanced governance and effective conservation of SEPLs. Around 222 species of birds and 200 species ofbutterflies have been documented and protected by declaring 939 hectares as CCAs and banning hunting and destructive
fishing across the remaining landscape of forests and rivers (total area being 3,751 hectares).

Lessons learned (factors in success or failure, challenges and opportunities)
The positive impacts of the project activities were evident at the end of the project as communities reported
increased protection of natural resources after the formation of a joint CCA and improvement in management ofcommon resources of SEPLs. The elders were satisfied with the documentation of their indigenous knowledge in
the People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) while the youth, women’s groups and the marginalized members of
the community reported increased household income due to ecotourism.
Key messages
Up-scaling of activities initiated by the communities will involve the formalization and mainstreaming of a
network of CCAs in the State which are at par with India’s Protected Area (PA) network in conjunction with theNagaland Government and Forest Department. This will also require technique, finance and institutional support
to encourage and sustain the practice of CCA formation and sustainable management. The government needs toprovide the policy, technology and the funding needed to allow these conservation groups to perform their role
uninterrupted.
Relationship to other IPSI activities (if the case study is related to any other IPSI collaborative activities, case studies, etc.)
This case study originally appeared in the Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review v. 5.
Funding (any relevant information about funding of activities or projects described in the case study)
The authors thank Conservation International (CI) Japan for supporting the project via a GEF-Satoyama grant.

Contributions to Global Agendas
CBD Aichi Biodiversity Targets (https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/)
The table below shows based on the self-evaluation by author(s). ⚫ and ◼ indicates the “direct” or “indirect” contributions to theCBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets respectively to which the work described in this case study contributes to.

Strategic Goal A

Strategic Goal B◼

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Strategic Goal C

Strategic Goal D

Strategic Goal E

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs)
The table below shows based on the self-evaluation by author(s). ⚫ and ◼ indicates the “direct” or “indirect” contributions to theSDGs respectively to which the work described in this case study contributes to.

◼

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