Guwahati, Dec 8: Showcasing the growing leadership of indigenous Karbi women in conservation, Joshna Terangpi – Project Officer at leading biodiversity conservation organsation Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org) and an indigenous Karbi woman actively participated in an international workshop organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
The workshop, held at the Felix River Kwai Resort near the historic River Kwai Bridge from 24-28 November 2025, brought together 37 participants representing seven South and South-East Asian countries, all working for biodiversity conservation and community livelihoods.
The workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capabilities in delivering conservation targets through improved project monitoring, evaluation, communication and sharing of best practices.
It emphasised strategic participatory planning and inclusive decision-making to enhance community ownership and resilient local stewardship for nature conservation and coexistence.
Ms. Terangpi shared her field experiences in community engagement, highlighting success stories as well as key challenges in women-led livelihood initiatives in Kohora-Karbi Anglong landscape of Assam.
She also gained valuable insights during the workshop on innovative approaches to address these challenges, inspired by learnings from other conservation sites across the region.
Her dedicated efforts to organise women, build awareness and promote sustainable livelihoods in Karbi Anglong earned wide appreciation from fellow participants. This international exposure marked her first travel abroad, making the experience especially meaningful and encouraging for her continued work to support both communities and conservation.
She currently works with hundreds of women across ten project villages in the Diring and Kohora areas of Karbi Anglong. Ms. Terangpi is the daughter of Kaban Engtipi and Lawrance Terang of Chokihola, Karbi Anglong.
Aaranyak was also represented at the workshop by Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy, Senior Manager, and Dr. M. Firoz Ahmed, Director. The team shared long-term learnings and best practices from conservation and community-led livelihood initiatives in the Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong and Manas landscapes in Assam.
The sustainable development models nurtured over the years by Aaranyak have now become exemplary learning hubs where communities and practitioners visit to gain hands-on experience. Aaranyak expressed gratitude to IUCN-KfW for its continued support to its Natural Resource Management Programme.
