13th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum 2025 Begins with Multi-Campus Inaugurations Across Assam’s Leading Universities
The 13th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum (EHNF) 2025 commenced today across four partner universities – Gauhati University, Assam Royal Global University, IIT Guwahati, and Cotton University, marking a powerful beginning to this year’s multi-institutional forum.
Each university inaugurated the Forum with dedicated thematic sessions aligned to their core strengths, covering sustainable land futures, social entrepreneurship, energy, water, forests and biodiversity, respectively.
The day witnessed the presence of esteemed international dignitaries, including Her Excellency May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, and Kesang Wangdi, Former Ambassador and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation, underscoring the Forum’s global relevance and deepening international environmental cooperation.
Many leading corporates like Tata Steel Foundation (Principal Partner), SEROS (Essar), Coca-Cola, Google Singapore, Tata Consumer Products Limited, among others, also participated at the Forum, sharing insights and commitments towards sustainability, circularity, and nature-positive development across the Eastern Himalayan region.
At the inauguration at Gauhati University, Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Honourable Vice Chancellor, emphasized the urgency of rethinking development trajectories in the face of climate escalation, stating, “The rapidly increasing socio-economic cost of climate change cannot be compensated by the GDP growth model.”
A landmark moment on Day 1 was the launch of the Asian Elephant Secretariat at Gauhati University, a major step forward in coordinating transboundary research, conservation action, and policy dialogue for Asian elephant habitats across the Eastern Himalaya and beyond. The Secretariat aims to serve as a collaborative knowledge and action platform to protect one of Asia’s most endangered and ecologically vital species.
With dynamic discussions, academic–community collaborations, and the convergence of global and regional thought leaders, Day 1 of EHNF 2025 set a powerful tone for the days ahead, grounding planetary challenges in actionable, locally rooted solutions.
