Arunachal Pradesh’s Deputy CM wasn’t just planting trees at Van Mahotsav. He was planting a message the state really needs to hear.
At the Van Mahotsav celebrations in Itanagar on July 6, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein delivered a speech that felt less like a political address and more like a heartfelt conversation with his own land. Standing before scientists, students, NCC cadets and government officials, he made one thing crystal clear — development without protecting Arunachal’s forests, rivers and culture is not development at all.
More Than Just Planting Trees
Mein didn’t sugarcoat it. He pointed out something that most of us quietly know but rarely say out loud — that planting thousands of saplings means nothing if they die within a year. The measure of success, he said, isn’t how many trees go into the ground. It’s how many survive. He called on schools, government departments, community organisations and ordinary citizens to take that responsibility seriously. Because someone has to water what gets planted.
A Biodiversity Hotspot That the World Is Still Discovering
Here’s something that doesn’t get said enough. Arunachal Pradesh sits inside one of the world’s 12 biodiversity hotspots, and researchers are still finding new species of plants, insects, fish and amphibians tucked inside its forests. New to science. In 2026. That’s remarkable. Mein leaned into this fact hard, urging students and researchers to double down on taxonomy and ethnobotanical research. The knowledge is there. It just needs to be documented before it disappears.
Wildlife Is Disappearing — And Hunting Is Part of the Problem
Mein didn’t shy away from the uncomfortable part either. He raised serious concern over indiscriminate hunting and the visibly declining population of birds and wildlife across the state. His call to action wasn’t to punish communities but to redirect them — toward eco-tourism, birdwatching and trekking that generate income while keeping the ecosystem intact. It’s a pragmatic argument, and an honest one. Nature can pay, if you let it live.
A Plant Named Ophiorrhiza Chownaii — and What It Means
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the day was when Mein was presented with Ophiorrhiza chownaii — a newly described plant species named in his honour by the Botanical Survey of India, recognising his contributions to environmental conservation. He accepted it quietly and dedicated the honour to the people of Arunachal Pradesh. It was a rare kind of political moment — one where the tribute actually fit the man.
Floods, landslides, soil erosion, climate change — Mein acknowledged all of it and tied it back to one simple truth: development planned without environmental sustainability at its core is a disaster waiting to happen. Arunachal’s forests aren’t a backdrop to progress. They are the progress.
— Naitik Abotani TV
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