Obing Siboh revives Himalayan cherry, plants 3,000 saplings in Adi villages
Yingkiong: On weekdays, Obing Siboh drives a government vehicle through the rugged terrain of Arunachal Pradesh’s remote Upper Siang district, ferrying healthcare workers on field assignments. Off duty, the 37-year-old from Gobuk village is on a different mission: saving the Himalayan cherry and preserving the cultural heritage of his Adi community.
Born in Gobuk, Siboh has emerged as a grassroots conservationist. He leads efforts to revive the region’s indigenous cherry trees, known locally as dikong appun, while also promoting wildlife conservation and traditional Adi games, songs and customs. Arunachal’s high-altitude areas like Tuting, Gelling and parts of Upper Siang offer ideal conditions for the species.
His fascination began in childhood, listening to stories about a remote grove 15 km from his village. In 2022, he and his father trekked there and found 50-60 trees, estimated to be 60-70 years old. “I was mesmerised,” Siboh recalls. He marked flowering trees and returned a month later to collect seeds.Convinced the ageing trees needed protection, he started raising saplings in a nursery at home, funding it himself. As plantations expanded, the Gobuk Welfare Society helped finance fencing against grazing cattle. Plantation drives followed across the village and along the highway, inspiring more residents to join.
In 2024, his age-based friendship group Bomging Olung Angnong organised a large drive, planting 1,500 saplings from his nursery. Villagers now maintain the groves, and some early trees have begun flowering. “Our cherry blossoms are distinct, though they belong to the same family,” says Siboh, a graduate who joined government service as a driver in 2019 and is attached to the District Hospital in Yingkiong.
He initially feared the remote grove was Arunachal’s last stand for indigenous cherry. Support kept the movement alive. Though the Forest Department couldn’t fund it, retired DFO Annying Boli donated ₹40,000, while Dr Ahik Miyo and advocate Dubom Tekseng gave ₹15,000 each. Bomging Olung Angnong has planted over 3,000 saplings so far.
Siboh currently nurtures around 4,000 more in his nursery and plans to distribute them to groups committed to plantation. Beyond trees, he campaigns against chemical fishing in the Yammeng River that flows through Gobuk.
