Customary Law Enforcement Emerges as Nagaland Community Bans Pangolin Hunting Across 42 Villages

Conservationists working in the region report that the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP), the apex tribal authority of the Sangtam Naga community, passed a resolution in February banning the hunting of pangolins across 42 villages. Under the resolution, village councils have been assigned responsibility for enforcement, while customary courts will adjudicate violations within the community governance framework.

Pangolins, recognized as the world’s most trafficked mammals, are protected under Indian national wildlife laws, which prohibit their hunting. However, enforcement remains difficult in regions such as Nagaland, where land and natural resource governance is largely regulated through customary institutions rather than centralized administrative mechanisms.

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) assistant manager Monesh Tomar stated that limited awareness of national wildlife protection laws among local communities further complicates enforcement. He also noted that officials and community members often operate within overlapping social networks, making strict legal action difficult to implement.

Historically, pangolin hunting in parts of Nagaland has been influenced by traditional beliefs. L. Kipitong Sangtam, a 61-year-old resident of Kiphire district and member of USLP, recalled that earlier generations considered the sighting of a pangolin inside a house a bad omen or curse. In such cases, the animal was often captured and killed, sometimes by digging it out of its burrow.

In contemporary times, however, the primary drivers of hunting have shifted toward local consumption of meat and the use of pangolin scales for ornamental purposes, according to Mukesh Thakur, a wildlife forensic expert with the Zoological Survey of India.

Pangolin scales also remain in demand for use in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicinal practices, despite scientific evidence disproving their medicinal efficacy.

Kiphire district’s geographical location along the porous border with Myanmar further intensifies conservation concerns, as it serves as a potential transit corridor for illegal wildlife trade. A Wildlife Crime Control Bureau official, speaking anonymously, noted that enforcement is complicated by terrain and deep cross-border social linkages. Many communities along the border maintain familial ties on both sides, reducing the effectiveness of policing alone and necessitating community engagement and behavioral change.

To address this challenge, conservation groups such as WTI have focused on awareness campaigns highlighting the ecological importance of pangolins. These animals play a critical role in controlling termite populations, which directly benefits local communities dependent on wood, bamboo, and forest resources vulnerable to insect damage.

Tomar explained that conservation messaging emphasized how pangolins consume millions of termites over their lifetime, helping reduce crop and infrastructure damage. He also warned that declining pangolin populations could lead to increased pesticide use, potentially harming long-term environmental and human health.

Community leaders have reported a shift in perception as a result. Kipitong Sangtam stated that pangolins are now increasingly recognized for their agricultural value, as they help control insect populations that damage crops, reinforcing the need for their protection.

The USLP resolution builds on a similar initiative by WTI in neighboring Manipur, where another tribal body had previously imposed a ban on pangolin hunting across 252 villages, reflecting a growing regional trend of community-led wildlife protection measures.

The development highlights a broader shift in conservation strategy in northeastern India, where customary governance systems are increasingly being integrated into wildlife protection efforts to strengthen enforcement in ecologically sensitive and geographically complex border regions.