The Siang River Festival is an annual agro-cultural socio-religious festival celebrated by the Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The festival aims to promote indigenous cultural heritage, eco-tourism, conservation strategies, river rejuvenation and agronomics, which are responsive to the social and cultural milieu.

Committed to the welfare of the local tribes and biodiversity conservation, the Wildlife Trust of India in attendance aspired to support and promote its conservation initiatives at the Siang Festival held on the 20^th-21^st of December 2021, through a stall. The aim was to provide the wider public information about the social initiatives and community development programmes being undertaken, while also exploring the significance of elephants and their corridors in Arunachal Pradesh.

Contributing to the importance of this festival and as a means of relief to communities due to crop damage by elephants in East Siang District, WTI’s Grain to Grain Programme handed out one quintal of rice each for the 38 affected families to the Gaon Burah (headman) of Siluk village, Mr. Ashik Linang. This initiative was undertaken in association with the Zila Parishad Member (ZPM)- Mr. Monggo-Banggo II, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO)-Pasighat, and members of Kotga Gorah Community Conservation Reserve Society.

Further to this support, the DFO-Pasighat, Mr. Tashi Mize distributed ten blankets to the Gaon Burahs of Mer, Paglam and Namsing villages, the beneficiary villages under Dering-Dibru Saikhow Corridor Project. This gesture was also extended to the Secretary and the President of KGCCRS appreciating them for their efforts for committing to set aside 1200 ha of their community forest land as ‘Community Reserve’.

Unfolding the Siang chapter of the Brahmaputra Utsav, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Pema Khandu and in presence of his cabinet colleagues and legislators hoped that the festival will go a long way in spreading awareness on river rejuvenation and conservation. The WTI team also had the opportunity to present copies of The Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors in India to the PCCF-HoFF & Principal Secretary (Environment & Forests), AP Forest Dept.-Shri R. K. Singh, and Additional PCCF and CEO, CAMPA-Shri K.B. Singh.

The Siang River festival is a wonderful attempt to close the gap between human culture and natural wealth, while creating an immersive discourse between both. WTI strives to strengthen these ties with wildlife conservation at its forefront.