Guwahati: Poachers find it easy to operate in the northeast hills and the Brahmaputra flood plains landscape as it shares borders with neighbouring southeast Asian countries, a report has pointed out.
Northeast landscape of India comprises the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and the hilly districts of northern West Bengal. This landscape can be further classified as North Bengal Dooars, Brahmaputra flood plains, and North East hill region. It is situated alongside international borders with Nepal, Bhutan, People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, and connected to peninsular India through a narrow strategic stretch, Siliguri.
“Since the landscape shares porous international borders in many parts with neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, it is comparatively easy for poachers to operate in this landscape. In the recent past, the skin and body parts of two tigers were seized from Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and Itakhola on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border,” says the report on ‘Status of Tigers: Co-Predators and Prey in India 2022’ released today.
The report says direct exploitation of tigers from this already low-abundant population, coupled with habitat fragmentation and biotic pressure, could eventually deplete the tiger population in this landscape.
“Other than rapid development causing habitat fragmentation and the poaching of wild tigers and prey, the invasion of weeds in the natural habitat is a severe threat to this landscape,” the report says.
However, the corridor connectivity in the northeast hills landscape matrix faces various threats, including the development of numerous linear infrastructures, hydroelectric projects, and the depletion of prey species from the forested patches.
“Addressing these challenges is essential to ensure the long-term survival and well-being of the diverse wildlife populations in this ecologically critical landscape,” the report says.
A total of 15 sites were sampled using the camera trap-based mark-recapture method, and tigers were photo-captured from 11 sites across the landscape. The landscape has an estimated population of about 236 (SE-Standard Error 35) tigers.
However, due to inadequate sample sizes, density estimates were obtained only for three sites, namely Kaziranga, Manas and Orang tiger reserves in Assam.
The population of tigers In the Brahmaputra flood plains is almost stable as compared with the previous cycle, with Kaziranga having the largest population in this entire landscape.
A few forested areas of Nagaland were also sampled during the exercise by the forest department. However, no tiger signs were obtained from Nagaland. Tigers were photo-captured for the first time in Buxa Tiger Reserve, Neora Valley National Park, and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal. Also, after quite a few years, a tiger was photo-captured in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Kaziranga- Orang- Pakke- Nameri is the largest population block in this landscape and has about 172 (SE 20) tigers.
Kaziranga has the highest tiger population in this landscape, followed by Orang. Karbi-Anglong Forest Division in the south of Kaziranga acts as an ecological extension of the reserve. However, both divisions differ in terms of protection, and NH 715 (earlier NH 37) and numerous built-up areas bordering roads act as a physical barrier to the free movement of wildlife species in this block. Though individual tiger numbers increased in Pakke Tiger Reserve from the previous cycle, a density estimate could not be done for the Pakke-Nameri block due to a very small sample size. Two individual tigers were common between Pakke Nameri Tiger Reserves.
“Pakke and Nameri could potentially harbour more Tigers with some adaptive management measures such as habitat restoration, augmentation of Prey, and improved law enforcement monitoring,” the report says.
The tiger population of Pakke and Nameri could further move towards Tale, Kane, D’Ering Memorial, and Mehao Wildlife Sanctuaries through the network of several Reserve Forests situated alongside the borders of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Kaziranga acts as the source population of tigers in this landscape and islands of the river Brahmaputra act as biological corridors and natural extensions to the population to maintain gene flow between tiger populations in this landscape. However, these river islands are also favourable for agriculture and pastures for livestock and are heavily encroached by human settlements.
Connectivity to the Nameri-Pakke population through Biswanath should be restored by protecting those river islands.
Karbi Anglong forest areas act as a refuge for tigers and other wildlife species during floods.
However, the movement of wildlife species are heavily impacted by NH 715 (earlier known as NH 37) and appropriate mitigation measure need to be implemented to increase habitat connectivity. Numerous built-up areas in the southern part of Kaziranga, tea estates, and mining and stone quarrying activity in Karbi Anglong areas act as major barriers to further movement of animals in the landscape.
Floods are responsible for a major death toll, and it’s crucial to have policies in place to provide enough safe passages for animals to move across to higher regions in Karbi-Anglong. Appropriate compensation should be provided to people to assist in providing safe movement corridors. Unlike earlier cycles, no surveys to record the presence of wildlife have been done in Karbi Anglong in this cycle.
Situated on the northeastern bank of the Brahmaputra River, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park has the potential to serve as a refuge for tigers in the future.
“Active management strategies such as reducing anthropogenic pressure, restoring habitats, and augmenting prey populations should be implemented to establish a sustainable tiger population in the park” the report recommends.
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State-wise tiger population
Arunachal Pradesh: A total of nine tigers were photo-captured in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. However, this could be an underestimation of tigers in the state.
Assam: Camera trapping was done in all four tiger reserves and Nagana Wildlife Division of Assam, and the tiger population was estimated at 227 (SE 24) for the state. After prolonged periods of armed conflicts that hampered conservation efforts, the tiger population of Manas steadily increased with better management. However, the Kaziranga-Orang tiger population is almost stable as compared with earlier cycles.
Mizoram: No tiger was photo-captured in the Dampa Tiger Reserve during the sampling cycles of 2018 and 2022. However, as per media reports, a tiger was photo-captured in 2021 in Dampa Tiger Reserve during an opportunistic m Although tiger abundance in Dampa continues to be low, this tiger reserve serves as an important forest block due to its proximity and connectivity to Myanmar and the Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh and its excellent faunal assemblage.
Nagaland: Camera trapping was not done in the state in this cycle, and tiger presence was also not confirmed through scat DNA or reported.
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