Institutional Adaptation and Indigenous Governance: Sociological Perspectives on Community Conservation in the Garo Hills, Northeast India
Abstract: Indigenous communities worldwide are increasingly recognised as key players in environmental governance. However, research has often prioritised indigenous ecological knowledge over the institutions that coordinate collective efforts and uphold community stewardship. This article focuses on the Community Conserved Area (CCA) at Damaldipo in Meghalaya?s West Garo Hills district. It investigates how indigenous governance evolves with social change while preserving environmental responsibilities. Employing a qualitative case study, the research includes field visits, semi-structured interviews with the village elders, members of the Community Conserved Area Committee, former senior officials and staff from the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCRMP) and West Garo Hills Community Resources Management Society (WGHCRMS). These insights were supplemented with analysis of village records, project documentation, and policy reports. Results indicate that the longevity of community conservation depends less on maintaining traditional practices and more on the adaptive capacity of indigenous institutions. Damaldipo exemplifies how customary authority, collective responsibility, and local legitimacy are reinterpreted within shifting religious, political, and economic contexts, without losing their governance functions. The study suggests that institutional adaptation offers a valuable sociological perspective for understanding indigenous governance and enhances broader discussions on commons management, environmental sociology, and sustainable development.
Keywords: Indigenous governance; institutional adaptation; community conservation; commons governance; Garo Hills
How to Cite?: Andrea Bazeley Agitok Sangma, "Institutional Adaptation and Indigenous Governance: Sociological Perspectives on Community Conservation in the Garo Hills, Northeast India", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 424-427, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261007113042, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261007113042