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DIMAPUR — Officials of German Development Bank (KfW) Review Mission led by Dr. Florian Wieneke, senior portfolio manager, KfW Frankfurt, along with Sangeeta Agarwal, senior sector specialist NRM, KfW New Delhi, office and project management consultant (PMC) led by Nand Kishor Agrawal, chief technical advisor (CTA), visited Nagaland from April 20 to the 27th.
Officials from Forest department and Nagaland Empowerment of People through Economic Development (NEPED) accompanied the visiting team to Khonoma, Benreu and Thenyayan villages under Kohima, Peren and Wokha districts respectively and interacted with the villagers and reviewed the progress of the ongoing activities.
An update from the Forest department stated that the team also interacted with a host of stakeholders including State Finance Commissioner, PCCF and HOFF, Commissioner and Secretary (Forest) and Nagaland Community Conservation Area Forum, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Nagaland Bio Resource Mission (NBRM) and Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB).
It mentioned that the German Development Bank is supporting the ‘Forest and Biodiversity Management in the Himalaya (Nagaland) Project (FBMP), which is being jointly implemented by the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DEFCC) and NEPED covering 5 districts and 70 villages in the state.
It stated that main objective of the project is for effective and sustainable management of community conserved areas (CCA) in selected landscapes for improved connectivity and conservation of biodiversity, while supporting livelihoods.
It described FBMP as a significant initiative aimed at balancing conservation imperatives with socioeconomic development in Nagaland's unique Himalayan landscape. It added that the collaboration between KfW, DEFCC and NEPED underscored a shared commitment to environmental sustainability and community empowerment in the state of Nagaland.
It further stated that the team studied the progress of ongoing activities under the project. The team also evaluated the efficacy of conservation efforts and livelihood support mechanisms in the designated areas, which are crucial for gauging the project's impact and identifying areas for improvement.