OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: Community-led conservation efforts at the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary have successfully restored wild honey bee colonies and revitalized associated wildlife, highlighting the vital role of indigenous stewardship in protecting ecologically and culturally significant landscapes.
This success story was showcased at the fourth edition of the Community Conference on Commons, organized by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) from December 10 to 12, 2025. At the conference, Gala Basumatary—a local spiritual leader and environmentalist from Bandarpara village—shared his journey of mobilizing the community to protect the Pedpakra sacred forest, located at the heart of the sanctuary.
In his presentation, Basumatary explained how destructive and unregulated honey-hunting practices had posed serious threats to the ecological integrity and cultural sanctity of Pedpakra. He traced how timely intervention through community leadership, combined with his personal commitment to conservation, gradually evolved into a collective movement. This initiative significantly reduced harmful honey-hunting practices and curbed forest degradation.
The initiative received support from BERE (Bwiswmuthy Eco-Reverence Ensemble), which facilitated Basumatary’s participation at the international forum to highlight indigenous-led conservation practices and the deep-rooted relationship between local communities and the hills and forests of Chakrashila. The presentation was facilitated by Pinky Brahma Choudhury, Founder of BERE.
To ensure that the impact of the global platform resonated locally, BERE also organized a community screening of the conference at the Bandarpara Community Hall. The event enabled schoolchildren and residents to witness their collective story being shared on an international stage. The screening also exposed the community to conservation initiatives and commons governance practices from other regions of India and around the world.
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