Marthilina featured in a book, Rangers – Women Reshaping the Conservation
Guwahati, Nov 2: “Marthilina Sangma’s story begins in the green hills of the North-East, where forests stretch endlessly, rivers sing through valleys, and life is bound to nature in ways the outside world rarely understands.”
These opening lines from The Forest Warrior: Story of Marthilina Sangama, a chapter in the newly released book Rangers – Women Reshaping the Conservation, capture the soul of a ranger whose life bridges courage and compassion.
The book Rangers – Women Reshaping the Conservation was launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi recently. It was released by Kirtivardhan Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, in the presence of Vivek Menon, Founder and Executive Director of the Wildlife Trust of India and Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
The author Deepali Atul Deokar is Founder and Director of the Exploring Womanhood Foundation and a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), conceptualised the project.
The book highlights inspiring stories of female rangers who are breaking barriers in one of the most demanding fields of environmental protection. It features 14 powerful narratives of women rangers across India — brave protectors of biodiversity from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Indo-Malayan landscapes to the Arabian Sea coast.
Born in the mist-clad hills of West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Marthilina Sangma grew up surrounded by forests that became her first classroom. Her family dreamed of a simple, safe life for her — teaching, nursing, perhaps an office job. But Marthilina’s eyes were “always drawn to the untamed paths.” She loved “the silence of the trees more than the chatter of city streets, the thrill of river crossings more than the comforts of home.”
Hailing from Selsella in West Garo Hills, she became Meghalaya’s first woman forest ranger from the Garo tribe after clearing the Meghalaya Public Service Commission examination. Since joining the Forest Department, she has worked tirelessly in the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve and adjoining forest divisions, known for their rich biodiversity and complex human–wildlife dynamics.
Despite initial doubts about a woman taking on the physically demanding and risk-filled duties of a ranger, Sangma proved her resilience through years of service in the field. Her approach to conservation combines enforcement with empathy — engaging villagers, promoting alternative livelihoods to reduce deforestation, and building awareness about coexistence with wildlife.
Her story, The Forest Warrior, chronicles her rise from modest beginnings to the frontlines of forest protection in Meghalaya. In its pages, she is not only a government officer but “a storyteller of the forest — someone who carries its voice to the outside world.”
Every time she stops illegal timber, rescues a trapped animal, or watches migratory birds return to the wetlands, she feels what the book calls “a deep satisfaction.” Her journey, it writes, “is not just her story — it is a story of resilience, courage, and love for nature.”
In 2023, Marthilina Sangma received the Van Durga Award at the Asian Ranger Forum, recognising her outstanding contribution to wildlife protection and her efforts to promote women’s participation in forest management.
“Through years of service, Marthilina learned lessons that no classroom could teach — that forests are living beings, breathing and wounded by human greed. That courage is not loud — it is quiet persistence in the face of danger,” the book notes.
Deepali Atul, who led the initiative, said, “We find Marthilina’s work truly inspiring. Being a calm, grounded officer, she has made the Forest Department proud and helped conserve biodiversity in some of India’s most sensitive ecosystems.
Also Read: Will there be a winter chill in Northeast India? No, says the weatherman
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
