Nongpoh: In a move to protect one of Meghalaya’s most ecologically significant regions, the Green-Tech Foundation, Meghalaya-India, visited the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, to raise public awareness against a proposed Rs. 23.60 crore eco-tourism infrastructure project that conservationists say could severely disrupt the region’s biodiversity.
The visit, organised on Earth Day, served as a symbolic yet urgent appeal to reassess the environmental impact of the development project.
The Foundation warned that the proposed infrastructure could cause irreversible damage to the sanctuary’s delicate ecosystem, which harbours over 50 species of mammals and 25 species of reptiles.
Notably, Nongkhyllem is home to around 30 of the 140 mammal species listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972—making it a critical habitat for some of India’s most endangered wildlife.
Green-Tech Foundation, known for its grassroots conservation work in the Northeast, is currently in a standoff with the government over the proposed project, urging authorities to reconsider what it describes as a short-sighted initiative that puts economic interests ahead of ecological preservation.
“This sanctuary is not just a tourist spot—it is a living, breathing ecosystem that must be protected for future generations,” a Foundation spokesperson said during the visit.
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The organisation emphasised the need for sustainable alternatives that balance tourism with conservation and called for greater involvement of youth and local communities in preserving the region’s natural heritage.
The Foundation’s efforts are part of a broader push to place environmental concerns at the forefront of policy decisions in ecologically fragile areas like Nongkhyllem, which forms a vital corridor for wildlife movement and biodiversity conservation in the region.
