Mishing Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Tourism: A Framework for Biodiversity Preservation in Assam’s Floodplains

Abstract

The Mishing people of the Brahmaputra Valley are one of the most resilient riverine cultures in the Eastern Himalayas. As climate change increases the rate and intensity of floods in Assam, traditional "gray" engineering approaches, such as embankments and spurs, have proved to be less than effective. This paper examines the potential for the integration of Mishing traditional architecture, in particular the Chang Ghar, and sustainable resource use into a "Village Tourism" model. It is suggested that by packaging the "experience" of indigenous sustainability, rather than simply the landscape, Assam can develop a sustainable model of biodiversity conservation that resists the incursion of destructive "gray" infrastructure.