Meghalaya's living root bridges nominated for UNESCO award
Meghalaya's famous Living Root Bridges—those incredible, tree-root structures—have just been nominated for the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize.
This global award celebrates standout work in protecting cultural landscapes and comes with a $30,000 prize.
For the Khasi and Jaintia Hills communities, it's a big step toward getting their unique heritage noticed worldwide.
Know more about the nomination
The push for this nomination came from the Wildlife Institute of India, with support from local groups managing 74 villages.
It was a real team effort involving government initiatives, workshops involving UNESCO and INTACH, and legal steps to protect these as 'living heritage.'
The bridges themselves are living proof of sustainable engineering—made by guiding rubber tree roots across rivers—and have become symbols of both tradition and eco-friendly innovation.