ABSTRACT
This paper examines the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental governance in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Using structured interviews with local NGOs, across East and West Khasi Hills, and documentary evidence, the study maps actor roles, activities, and constraints shaping grassroots environmental action. Findings reveal that NGOs groups operate as information brokers, educators, pressure groups, and watchdogs, organizing awareness campaigns, training, advocacy, and monitoring that yielded outcomes such as enforcement actions against illegal industries. However, persistent challenges limit broader impact: chronic underfunding, limited technical capacity, political resistance, weak inclusion in formal decision-making, and questions of legitimacy and accountability. Survey respondents identify rampant deforestation, unscientific coal mining, and dilution of traditional sacred-grove values as primary threats, and they support integrating indigenous environmental knowledge into curricula and policy. The study identifies governance gaps where traditional custodians and modern institutions fail to coordinate effectively. It recommends legal reforms to guarantee public participation and disclosure, capacity building and funding for local NGOs and traditional councils, and measures to increase youth and women’s representation in environmental decision-making. The paper concludes that empowering NGOs is essential for conserving sacred groves and ensuring equitable, resilient environmental governance in the Khasi Hills.
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS
Department of Political Science Union Christian College, Ri Bhoi District, PO-UCC, Meghalaya, 793122
CITATION
Mawlong BL (2025) Green Guardians: NGOs and Environmental Governance in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Environmental Science Archives 4(2): 774-781.
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