Our Story
We are four clans of of the Idu Mishmi community, belonging to the Elopa and Etugu villages in Arunachal's Lower Dibang Valley, who've declared part of our ancestral land a Community Conserved Area (CCA). The 65 sq KM CCA has been named Elopa-Etugu Community Eco-Cultural Preserve (EECEP). EECEP, when pronounced as a word makes the sounds that mean ‘a place we have left' in our language. This name holds deep meaning for us as we were forced to leave our ancestral land in the 80s-90s when the River Dibang (Talõ) changed course, following years of logging, and swallowed our agricultural fields. The following two decades witnessed increased outsider hunting and resource extraction in our ancestral lands.
Wildlife in EECEP
Over 40 species of mammals have been recorded in scientific camera trap surveys led by community members and outside scientists. Compare that with Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, which lies right next-door and is 4 times larger than EECEP, where similar camera trapping surveys conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India revealed merely 23 species of mammals. EECEP has flourishing populations of globally endangered species such as......
Clouded Leopards
