Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, spotlighted a remarkable three-decade-long wildlife conservation effort by the Pegu family of Jonai in Assam, calling it a 'perfect coexistence' of humans and nature. The family has maintained a bamboo grove that shelters thousands of bats, which in turn support local agriculture through pollination and pest control.

Context

The Pegu family of Jonai — a town in Dhemaji district, eastern Assam — has for 30 years voluntarily preserved a bamboo grove on their land. The grove has become a natural roosting habitat for thousands of bats, making it one of the more quietly significant community-level conservation stories in the region. CM Sarma described the family's effort as 'setting an example in wildlife conservation.'

Jonai lies along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra and borders Arunachal Pradesh, a biodiversity-rich corridor. Community-level habitat preservation in such zones is increasingly recognised as critical to maintaining ecological balance in the broader Northeast India landscape.

Policy Backdrop

Bats are among the most ecologically important yet under-appreciated mammals in India. They serve as primary pollinators for several night-blooming plant species and are voracious consumers of agricultural pests, with a single bat capable of consuming hundreds of insects per hour. Their role in sustaining crop yields without chemical intervention aligns closely with India's broader push toward natural farming and reduced pesticide dependence.

Assam has in recent years seen growing state interest in community-based conservation models, alongside its formal protected-area network that includes Kaziranga National Park and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. Recognising informal conservation efforts by families and communities represents a complementary approach to top-down wildlife protection frameworks.

Stakeholders and Impact

The direct beneficiaries of the Pegu family's effort are neighbouring farmers, who gain from improved pollination rates and natural pest suppression — both of which translate to better agricultural productivity, as CM Sarma noted. For a district like Dhemaji, where agriculture is the primary livelihood, such ecological services carry tangible economic value.

The broader implication extends to bat conservation across Assam and the Northeast, where habitat loss and hunting have historically threatened bat populations. Public recognition by the Chief Minister lends visibility to a model that could be replicated by other families and communities across the region.

What's Next

The Chief Minister's post stops short of announcing formal recognition or state support for the Pegu family, but the public spotlight often precedes institutional acknowledgement in such cases. Wildlife and forest departments in Assam may be expected to assess whether community conservation incentive programmes can be extended to cover informal habitat guardians like the Pegu family. If formalised, such a framework could encourage dozens of similar micro-conservation efforts across Northeast India to come forward and seek support.