Aaranyak is a leading Indian environmental conservation Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and a Charitable Trust based in Guwahati, Assam, focusing on the Eastern Himalayan region. It is recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO) by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The institution was founded on September 9, 1989, by Bibhab Kumar Talukdar and a group of young enthusiasts. Its creation was driven by the mission to foster conservation of biodiversity in Northeast India. The organization's first major success involved a legal petition to protect the white-winged wood-duck in the Dibru-Saikhowa Sanctuary, challenging the State Government for violating India's Wildlife and Forest Protection Acts.
Aaranyak works through a mechanism of research, environmental education, capacity building, and advocacy for legal and policy reform. It operates through 14 major Divisions that blend science and technology with stakeholder involvement to address conservation issues. Key activities include scientific applied research, curtailing the illegal wildlife trade through legal procedures, and implementing integrated rural development projects to minimize the dependence of communities on forest resources.
The organization connects to the global conservation network as a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its work is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targeting at least 12 of them directly. Over time, Aaranyak has evolved from a nature club to an organization with a strong focus on applied research and conservation action, while its core mission of ecological security in Northeast India remains constant.