New Delhi: Researchers from Nagaland University have identified a new plant species in the high-altitude forests of Nagaland, highlighting the region’s rich but under-documented biodiversity and the role of community-led forest conservation in Northeast India.
The species, named Hoya Nagaensis, was discovered during systematic botanical surveys of remote forest areas in the state.
The study was led by Dr Gyati Yam of the Department of Forestry, Nagaland University, along with researchers Vieneite-o Koza and Joynath Pegu and was funded under the university’s Start-Up Project for Young Faculty.
The researchers noted that large tracts of Nagaland’s forests remain scientifically unexplored, limiting accurate biodiversity assessments.
The newly identified plant is currently known only from the Kavünhou Community Reserved Forest in Phek district and has been provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered due to its restricted distribution and threats such as shifting cultivation and forest disturbance.
Congratulating the team, Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik said the discovery reinforces the ecological importance of community-protected forests as refuges for rare and endemic species.
The research also adds to India’s botanical records and provides valuable data for global plant science and conservation efforts.
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