Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
of
assessed forest
contiguitl', distribution
of Arunachal
Pradesh
fntroduction
Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state in the north-east India,
covers an area
of
and
of
&
of
annual rainfall
(1
of forest types,
ranging from tropical evergreen forests, tropical semievergfeen forests, riverine semi-evergreen fotests, subtropical pine forests, temperate broadleaved forests,
temperate coniferous forests, alpine forests, and high
montane grasslands are seen. Such a diversity of habitats
harbouring rich plant and animal life, packed into a relatively
small are4, makes Arunachal Pradesh a hotspot of global
biodiversity. It is also home to over 5,000 species of plants
(including 600 species of orchids), 500 species of bitds and
29 species of mammals listed under Schedule I of the Indian
Wildlife Protection Act. These include 4 species of latge
cats, 7 species
of
oI
goat antelopes.
total land area falls under the protected area network (Fig.
1), with one Biosphere Reserve (BR) (Dibang-Dihang
Biosphere reserve), one Tiger Reserue (fR) Q"lamdapha Tiger
Reserve), one National Park (IrlP) (Mouling National Park),
10 Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) and one Orchid Sanctuary
(Sessa Otchid Sanctuarl). Eighty-six Reserved Forests (RF's)
account for an additional 72.7'/o o[ the total area. The rest
of the forested areas come under the pun'iew of the 3,649
villages in Arunachal Pradesh and are classihed as Village
Forest Resen'es (VFRt) or Unclassed State Forests (USF's)'
Foundation)
(11'2
India
Galah 222
flulv
2003)
43
44
ct
'ulcl
l>c clue k r
further research.
Methods
$57est
Table 1 List of
areas where
ground surveys for dung were carried out, with encounter rates for each area
Distance Number of
walked ftm) signs
Encounter
L.rr.l
Bandardewa
RF, USF-
l2
2.33
RF, USF
RF, USF.RF, VFR
RF, VFR
WLS
I]
1.88
15
24
1.6
Khellong
Khellong
Area
District
Chessa Papum-Pare
lP'
Jellosa
llas t
Kameng
East
I\ameng
Iorest ljlvlslon
Protection
28
nte/km
15
79
5.21
29
4.14
l6
88
5.5
WLS
12
78
6.5
\(1LS
15
89
5.93
45
r\ssam <lue
cultivation.
to the
Changlang districts.
of
rvhich support
increased levels
in a natural elephant
Path$'ay),
the
construction of a Territorial Range Office on an elephant
path have been the reasons for increasing levels of human
elephant conflict. Project Elephant has recognised the
I(anreng -Sonitpur interstate luea (ca 4,300 km'z) as an
Elephant reserve Q'ilational Elephant Consetvation Action
plan, 1992), but this area experiences a lot of pressure in
,fabansii Di.rtids
In the Subansiri
range
I
I
Dihang-Dibang BR
D' Ering Memorial WLS
'10 Mehao WLS
'11 Kamlang WLS
12 Namdapha TR
Wls- Wildlile Sanctuary
NP- Nalional Park
BB- Biosphere R6erve
TR- Tiger Heserve
G{rh
(Lahiri-Choudhuty et al.,
46
involvins
rhe
consrrucrion
Dirtitt
of
Di.;tict
Dirtict
types
semi-evergreen to
of
11/e1,
the Lohit
riverine forest,
Dihang I
Fiq.
Extent
of
was
50
50
Krlometers
2003)
47
Discussion
habitat. Mosaics
East SiangDis*ict
The D'Ering Memorial \flLS was surveyed in this district. The
D'Ering \fLS (184 km2) is composed mainly of Vettiaeia
grasslands and plantatiorc of Dalbergia znd Bombax. It is
of high elephant abundance and is used
another
^teeseasonally by elephants (before and duting the monsoons)'
The zrea is also flood prone and is rendered a virtual island
during heavy rains and flood. Heavy siltation occurs in the
areas affected by flood. Elephants frequendy ctoss over from
Jonai and Kobo Chapori in Assam to this area. Cited as an
important movement path for elephants (Choudhury, 1999),
the Dibru-Deomali elephant corridor includes D' Ering WLS,
Jonai and Kobo Chapori areas (Assam), Dibru-Saikhowa Nl
Joypur RF and Deomali Forest Division. Consequendy, this
of forest
patchy
tbe
Many areas that are imPortant for elePhants do not fdl under
the protected area network. The Deomali area in Tirap district
is one such example. An important link in the Dibru-Deomali
corridoi, this area is Presendy classified as a VFR. It is not only
problem lies
Fig.
'l HrghElephanlAbundance
EElephant Orstribution
aSurvey Points
3 LwEleohantAbundance
50
50
Kilometers
48
protection bv
inr'<--,h.'ing
in the Kameng
cbsd
orn
rertunurc
ap;"
canopy Focst
canopy Facst
D DDrusdkhda NP
a cbsed carcpy Fde{
E open canoDt Foresl
O &nulue
I eopun toerent
49
Acknowlcdgements
Refercnces
Conservator
Conservators
IUCN/SSC.64 pp.
N{r.
and distribaion
of
elepbants in nortbeast
tbe statas
16 pp.
Pradesb.
Trust
IUCN/WWF Report. 21
pp.
area nehtork in
Dehra Dun.
Sukumar, R. 1989. The Asian Elephant: Ecology and Management.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
2t){13)