Phase I– Ideation, Concept Generation & Validation (2010-2011)

Unbridled population explosion, finitude of global resources and equally increasing pressure of energy dependence and forces of emulative globalization in the developing part of the world make it indispensible to engage with solutions and strategies that have to be adopted as innovations rather than emulated as conventions by newly developing regions of the world like North-East India. The choices made by these regions are fundamental to the understanding and implementation of solutions towards global sustainability. Based on a number of research interventions and engagement with institutions, organizations and projects in this area, GISDP was conceptualized as an initiative to address primary areas of sustainability concerns for North East India.

Our study reflected three primary areas of concern:

Firstly, the region exhibits high vulnerability to ethnic conflict and violence that has over the years matured into insurgency and global terrorism. North East India has recorded a high density of ethnic conflict for the last two decades and is currently known to house the largest number of insurgent groups in India, all claiming ethnic sovereignty and secession from Indian Nationhood. A part of the ethnic question also arises from the illegal immigration of Muslim population from the impoverished regions of the neighboring country of Bangladesh. The ethnic identities are very often colored through religious differences.

Secondly, North-East is situated in a highly sensitive seismic-zone of the world and is vulnerable to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. For example, Majuli, the world’s most vulnerable riverine island, is almost at the point of extinction due to river erosion. It houses a wealth of biocultural and archaeological archive of traditional knowledge belonging to the ‘Satras’ monasteries of the medieval Hindu sect of vaishnavs. These monasteries were established by the greatly revered saint Shankardev.

Thirdly, North-East India, being one of the richest bio-diversity hotspots in the world, requires a strategic planning for sustainable utilization of its natural resources through a comprehensive plan for natural resource management, disaster management, harvesting of its indigenous and local knowledge base for economic growth and human development. In this regard, conventional understanding of ethnic conflict based on identity assertion and indigenous rights has to now make way for a more integrated and systemic approach to analyzing conflict by emphasizing on ecosystem management, indigenous knowledge systems, education, health, equity, poverty, land rights and other special problems of marginalized people.

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