An ancient forest engineering tradition, woven over generations from the roots of rubber trees, is now one step closer to global recognition. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, met with Professor Dr. Nobuko Inaba, the ICOMOS expert leading the technical evaluation mission for the Jingkieng Jri / Lyu Chrai Cultural Landscape — Meghalaya's living root bridges — and released a new book celebrating these extraordinary natural structures.

ICOMOS mission at the root of the nomination

The meeting was held alongside community members, representatives of the Syrwet U Barim Mariang Jingkieng Jri Cooperative Federation Ltd., and officials of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA). The gathering signals a pivotal phase in the formal evaluation process: under UNESCO's World Heritage nomination procedure, ICOMOS — the International Council on Monuments and Sites — conducts on-site technical evaluations before the World Heritage Committee makes its final inscription decision. Dr. Inaba's visit is precisely that on-the-ground assessment in motion.

The living root bridges of Meghalaya are not built — they are grown. Khasi communities in the region's rainforests have, for centuries, trained the aerial roots of Ficus elastica (rubber fig trees) across rivers and ravines, creating bridges that strengthen over time. The nomination, filed as India's candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, frames the bridges as a cultural landscape — not merely a structure, but an entire ecosystem of traditional knowledge and community stewardship.

'Nature's Architect' — the knowledge put into print

Alongside the ICOMOS mission, CM Sangma released 'Nature's Architect', a book dedicated to the living root bridges. Describing the structures in the post, Sangma called them a reflection of 'the remarkable traditional knowledge, ingenuity and deep connection between our communities and nature,' adding that their nomination 'is a tribute to the knowledge of our forefathers.'

The release is well-timed: a dedicated publication on the bridges at the precise moment an international evaluator is conducting an on-site mission underscores Meghalaya's institutional seriousness about the nomination. Books, documentation archives, and community participation records form part of the broader dossier that ICOMOS weighs in its technical advisory to UNESCO.

Northeast India's push for heritage recognition

India has increasingly sought UNESCO recognition for sites that showcase indigenous ecological knowledge — particularly from the Northeast, a region whose living cultural traditions have historically received less global visibility than the country's monumental architectural heritage. A successful inscription of the Jingkieng Jri Cultural Landscape would mark a significant moment for community-based, biocultural nominations — where the 'site' is as much a practice and a people as it is a place.

Sangma's post closes on a note of patient expectation: 'As we hopefully await the prestigious nomination, we remain committed to preserving this unique cultural heritage and ensuring its legacy for future generations.' The final word now rests with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, whose decision follows the ICOMOS technical recommendation.

If the bridges earn inscription, the vines that took generations to grow into pathways will carry a new kind of weight — as a globally recognised testament to human ingenuity in harmony with nature.