The North-East region of India, comprising Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim, is a cradle of biodiversity, cultural plurality, and environmental richness. Representing nearly 25% of India’s forest cover and hosting two of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots (Indo-Burma and Eastern Himalayas), the region serves as a vital ecological shield not only for India but for theentire South Asian subcontinent. Its vast ecosystems, ranging from the Brahmaputra and Barak River basins, the Kaziranga wetlands, and the forests of Arunachal and Nagaland, to the hill ecosystems of Meghalaya and Mizoram, sustain innumerable species and provide ecosystem services indispensable for climate regulation, water security, and food sustainability.
However, this ecological wealth is under increasing threat due to rapid economic development, unsustainable resource extraction, and policy incoherence. Activities such as unregulated coal and limestone mining, deforestation for shifting cultivation, infrastructural expansion, and the proliferation of large hydropower projects have intensified environmental degradation, displacement of communities, and biodiversity
loss. Climate change has further compounded these challenges, manifesting in increased flood frequency, riverbank erosion, landslides, glacial melt, and erratic rainfall patterns, disrupting both natural and human systems. The situation calls for an integrated approach, one that aligns legal mandates, governance systems, and management strategies to achieve sustainable development tailored to the North-East’s socio-ecological fabric. The complexities of the region are heightened by its unique constitutional arrangements, including special provisions of the Constitution of India, 1950 under Article 371, Sixth Schedule, Autonomous District Councils, and customary governance institutions, which coexist with national environmental legislation such as the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. This multiplicity of regimes demands a coordinated framework that reconciles central environmental
policies with local autonomy and traditional ecological knowledge. Judicial and quasi-judicial interventions have increasingly spotlighted these challenges. In the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment on unregulated coal mining in Meghalaya (State of Meghalaya v. All Dimasa Students Union1), the Court emphasized the environmental and human cost of regulatory failure, mandating the State to ensure compliance with
environmental norms while respecting customary ownership. This judgment set a, precedent for integrating tribal rights with environmental accountability. Similarly, the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (Arunachal Pradesh–Assam)2 litigation before the National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court revealed critical deficiencies in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and disaster risk management frameworks,
urging the formulation of cumulative ecological assessments rather than isolated project-based clearances. At the regional level, the Gauhati High Court’s 2025 directive to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram to develop a joint inter-state mechanism for forest
encroachment control and ecological restoration marked a crucial step toward institutional integration in environmental governance. This judicial initiative underscores the growing realization that ecological challenges in the North-East transcend administrative boundaries and require collaborative legal and managerial, responses.
These regional developments are part of a larger national and global legal evolution. In M.K. Ranjitsinh & Ors. v. Union of India (20243) [The Great Indian Bustard Case], the Supreme Court of India recognized the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change as an intrinsic component of the fundamental right to life under Articles 14 and 21. This landmark decision transforms environmental protection from a policy aspiration into a constitutional imperative, requiring the State to integrate climate resilience into development planning. ,Further, cases like the Kaziranga quarrying directives (2024) and Doyang–Nambor forest eviction litigation (2024–2025) highlight the delicate balance between conservation imperatives and the rights of local communities. They also reveal how judicial decisions are increasingly driving administrative and managerial reforms, closing the gap between law and policy execution. In this evolving context, the National Law University Tripura, through its Centre for Environmental Law and Climate Change and Centre for Intellectual Property Studies, in collaboration with the University of Engineering & Management, bringing together the expertise of its Management Department and its Department of Law, proudly presents an international platform for transformative dialogue. United by a shared commitment to sustainability, innovation, and interdisciplinary excellence, the institutions are set to organise the International Conference on Integrating Legal Frameworks and
Management Strategies: Pathways to a Greener, Sustainable North-East India. The proposed Conference seeks to bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, community leaders, and environmental managers to critically engage with these issues. The conference envisions fostering a multi-layered dialogue that bridges environmental law, climate governance, sustainable resource management, and indigenous knowledge systems.
By studying judicial precedents, evaluating policy implementation, and sharing best practices from the region, the conference aims to chart actionable frameworks that harmonize legal obligations, management efficiency, and ecological justice. It aspires to be not merely a discursive space but a policy-constructive platform, one that contributes to a sustainable future for the North-East through law, collaboration, and innovation.
