In Namdapha National Park, in northeast India, Aparajita Datta moves slowly across a bridge high above the river. On the other side, she enters the thick tropical forest. Later, Datta calls the variety of wildlife in the area "mind-boggling This area is the most species-rich environment in a. There are over 100 mammal species here. There are 500 species of birds and more than a thousand different plants. For about eight years, Datta has worked to protect the region. After two years in the area, she understood something important- she needed the support of the local people to protect the forest. Ever since then, she has been focusing her attention on the people of the Lisu tribe. The Lisu people have lived in the area of the Namdapha National Park since before it was protected in 1983. The Lisu are far from everything. They need to walk four days to reach the nearest town. They have to hunt and grow their own food. With little land to grow rice, they have to cut down the trees in the forests. But this destroys the plants and animals natural habitats.Datta started working with the Lisu. She started a program which reduces hunting, and helps save wildlife. It also tries to find solutions that can help protect for the future the diversity that makes the area so special.