Meghalaya's Living Root Bridge On UNESCO's Tentative List Of World Heritage Sites

SHILLONG: The living root bridges in Meghalaya gets UNESCO recognition as it has been added to the tentative list of UNESCO's world heritage site.

Meghalaya's living root bridges attracting tourists including international spreads over 70 villages in the state and has the capacity to hold more than 50 individual.

On Monday 28 March the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma took to Twitter to announce the good news that Jingkieng Jri also known as the Living Root Bridge of Meghalaya has found its place in the UNESCO's tentative list of heritage sites.

The CM added that the living root bridges spreading in different villages not just stand out for their exemplary human-environment but also focus on pioneering use for resilience and connectivity.

The unique root bridges also focus on the need to adopt sustainable measures in balancing the ecology as well as the economy added Sangma.

Earlier, on 22 January 2022, the chief minister had pitched for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognition of the bridge in heritage sites during the occasion of the 50th year of the state's formation.

The northeastern hill state of Meghalaya is known across the globe for the existence of root bridges in villages and jungles that are regarded as livelihood solutions.

One can mainly witness the Ficus-based rural connectivity of root bridges in the dense subtropical moist broadleaf forest eco-region of Meghalaya.

Most notably, these living root bridges facilitate disaster resilience as well as connectivity in more than 75 remote villages located near the earth's wettest region.

According to the governing body for protected sites UNESCO, these structural ecosystems have been working even in extreme climate conditions for many centuries and express the profound harmony between nature and human beings.

It may be mentioned that the living root bridges in Meghalaya were made by the indigenous Jaintia and Khasi tribal communities who had mastered the art of wrapping thick roots all together to form a structure.

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