Nagaland’s Khonoma: the village that banned hunting and became a sanctuary

Khonoma, the Angami village that banned hunting in 2004, is proof that conservation can be an act of community pride. The forests that were once stripped of birdsong are now dense with hornbills and gibbons.

The village’s ‘green heritage’ status has made it a destination, and a share of tourism revenue funds the forest patrols.

A dozen villages across Nagaland have copied the Khonoma model, each adapting it to its own forests and traditions.