Covering an area of Ziro Valley in Lower Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh, Apatani tribe or Tanw/Tanii is one among the prominent tribes of the eastern Himalayas. The tribe has been famous for its unique agriculture practice, cultural heritage, and sustainable living.

The Apatanis have a uniquely renowned paddy -cum -fish integrated agriculture practice. Such practice basically combines rice and fish farming within the same field, thus making the practice eco-friendly and cost effective. Besides, they put up bamboos and pine trees in the surrounding high hills. The neighbouring community continuously harvests using traditional agricultural methods without any modern machinery and thus its sustainable and environment-friendly practices.

The vivid culture of the Apatanis comprises various festivals, intricate hand-weaving design, and cane and bamboo crafts. The two major Apatanis festivals, Dree and Myoko, regulate agricultural and social life. The Dree festival celebrated in July is a time to pray for a bumper harvest and prosperity, while the Myoko festival held in March celebrates inter-village friendship. Traditional village councils of the tribe called bulyaṇ maintain social harmony and cultural practices.

The Apatanis are fighting against modern infrastructures and economic opportunities. Located in a remote Ziro Valley, they lack the ability to reach several essential services and markets. In addition, younger generations slowly shift interest toward urban cities to get better education and better jobs, which threaten the survival of traditional practices and knowledge.

The Apatanis have made notable efforts to maintain their traditional practices and environment. One good example of sustainable agriculture is their integrated rice-fish farming mechanism. They use organic materials such as household waste and dung in fertilizing their fields and nitrogen-fixing plants such as azolla and lemna in the field water. The community also practices social forestry, where bamboo and pine plantations are tended for restoration of ecological balance. Given its unique and sustainable way of ecology conservation, UNESCO has proposed the Apatani Valley for nomination as a World Heritage Site.