Environment and sustainable development in the hilly regions of North‐East India: A study in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

The present paper deals with the people and society of a state in India which was known as “the hidden land”. Since Independence, this predominantly tribal society has been in a phase of transition from near isolation to the assimilation of the market economy, giving rise to certain environmental problems. The paper attempts to analyse the linkage between environment and sustainable development in the hilly regions of North East India by considering the case of indigenous shifting cultivation (jhum) techniques practised on a large scale in Arunachal Pradesh. The author feels that a sustainable hill area development requires the blending of traditional and modern techniques and the revival of old tribal beliefs and knowledge regarding the preservation of environment.

Citation

Mitra, A. (1998), "Environment and sustainable development in the hilly regions of North‐East India: A study in Arunachal Pradesh", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 25 No. 2/3/4, pp. 196-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068299810193399