Khonoma in Nagaland is India’s first “green village”. The terrain of the village is hilly, ranging from gentle slopes to steep and rugged hillsides. The hills are covered with lush forestland, rich in various species of flora and fauna. The state bird, Blyth’s tragopan, a pheasant now nationally endangered, is found here. Khonoma is a medium size village located in Sechü Zubza sub-division of Kohima district, Nagaland with total 424 families residing. The Khonoma village has population of 1943 of which 919 are males while 1024 are females as per Population Census 2011. The village is divided into three Thinuos, namely Merhüma (M-Khel), Semoma (S-Khel) and Thevoma (T-Khel).
Khonoma village has higher literacy rate compared to Nagaland. In 2011, literacy rate of Khonoma village was 83.41 % compared to 79.55 % of Nagaland. In Khonoma Male literacy stands at 93.72 % while female literacy rate was 74.19 %. As per constitution of India and Panchyati Raaj Act, Khonoma village is administrated by Sarpanch (Head of Village) who is elected representative of village.
In 1998 hunting was banned in Khonoma’s forests after the killing of around 300 endangered Blyth’s tragopan (Tragopan blythii) in a week as part of a hunting competition. Villagers were sensitized and educated, leading to the creation of the 20 sq km Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS), the first-ever community-led conservation project in India. Hunters were recruited to serve as forest wardens with a good salary, an incentive to turn from hunting to conservation. Today, the sanctuary provides a safe haven for Blyth’s tragopan, the state bird of Nagaland, and other vulnerable species such as the leopard, clouded leopard and Asiatic black bear. Conservation of Khonoma’s natural resources combined with sustainable agricultural practices led to it earning its green title in 2005.
Credit : Wikipedia
Picture Credit : Google
