Rogers was not just a visitor to Meghalaya, but someone who developed a profound bond with its forests and people… – Conrad K Sangma, Chief Minister
Shillong, April 2: The passing away of American researcher and author Patrick Rogers, known for his in-depth work on living root bridges, has been mourned in the state.
Rogers, through his work for years, brought global attention to the iconic living root bridges.
Expressing his grief in a social media post, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said with Rogers’ passing, the living root bridges community had lost a deeply connected friend of the land.
Sangma said Rogers was “not just a visitor to Meghalaya” but someone who developed a profound bond with its forests and people, helping the world recognise the value of the unique bioengineered structures.
Rogers had been travelling to Northeast India regularly since 2009, when he first visited the region as a student.
His engagement deepened over the years, culminating in a month-long solo trek across Meghalaya in 2015 that led to the creation of the Living Root Bridge Project.
Through this initiative, he sought to document the true scale, diversity, and cultural significance of the region’s living root bridges—far beyond the handful widely known online.
In his own writings, Rogers highlighted that “dozens and dozens” of such structures existed across Meghalaya, many of them undocumented and under threat as traditional knowledge systems began to fade.
He warned that unless awareness increased, the practice of this unique form of “botanical architecture” could gradually disappear, surviving only in areas sustained by tourism.
Through years of exploration, he mapped and recorded numerous root bridges, building one of the most comprehensive independent repositories on the subject.
His work, including books such as “The Green Unknown” and “Through the Canyons of Living Bridges”, connected indigenous knowledge with global conversations on sustainable design, ecology, and architecture.
Rogers consistently emphasised that understanding living root bridges required collaboration across disciplines — bringing together engineers, botanists, anthropologists, and, most importantly, local communities who have preserved the tradition for generations.
Beyond his research, he was known among locals for his humility and long-term engagement with villages across Meghalaya.
Many credit him with amplifying calls for conservation at a time when these living structures face growing pressures from environmental change, modernisation, and unregulated tourism.
Details regarding his exact age and the date of his death were not immediately available.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace,” Sangma said.
