WILD LIFE SANCTUARY IN TRIPURA

Wildlife Sanctuary- TRIPURA

 Introduction

Sanctuary is an area which is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance. The Sanctuary is declared for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment. Certain rights of people living inside the Sanctuary could be permitted. Further, during the settlement of claims, before finally notifying the Sanctuary, the Collector may, in consultation with the Chief Wildlife Warden, allow the continuation of any right of any person in or over any land within the limits of the Sanctuary.

A sanctuary is a protected area which is reserved for the conservation of only animal and human activities like harvesting of timber, collecting minor forest products and private ownership rights are allowed as long as they do not interfere with well-being of animals. Boundaries of sanctuaries are not well defined and controlled biotic interference is permitted.

“Sanctuary” means an area declared, whether under sec. [26(A)] or sec 38, or deemed, under sub section (3) of Sec.66 to be declared, as a wildlife sanctuary.

Name of Sanctuary, Year of Notification and Total Area is as follows…

S. No.	Name of Wildlife Sanctuary	Year of Notification	Total Area(km²)
1	Gumti  Wildlife Sanctuary	1988	389.54
2	Rowa  Wildlife Sanctuary	1988	0.86
3	Sepahijala  Wildlife Sanctuary	1987	13.45
4	Trishna  Wildlife Sanctuary	1988	163.08

Source – Wildlife Institute of India

List of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Tripura. How many National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Tripura. Total number of National Parks is Two (2) and Total number of Wildlife Sanctuaries is Four (4) in Tripura. “Sanctuary” means an area declared, whether under sec. [26(A)] or sec.38 or deemed, under sub-section (3) of sec.66. to be declared, as a National Park.

National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. Name of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, Year of Notification and Total Area is given below:

NATIONAL PARK-TRIPURA

Introduction

National Park declared by the Central Government such animal or any article, trophy, uncured trophy or meat [derived from such animal or any vehicle, vessel, weapon, trap, or tool used in such hunting, ³] shall be the property of Central Government.

National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted. In these parks, even private ownership rights are not allowed. Their boundaries are well marked and circumscribed. They are usually small reserves spreading in an area of 100 sq. km. to 500 sq. km. In national parks, the emphasis is on the preservation of a single floral or faunal species.

“National Park” means an area declared, whether under sec.35. or sec.38 or deemed, under sub-section (3) of sec.66. to be declared, as a National Park.

Every specified plant or part or derivative thereof, in respect of which any offence against this Act or any rule or order made there under has been committed, shall be the property of the State Government, and, where such plant or part or derivative thereof has been collected or acquired from a sanctuary or National Park declared by the Central Government, such plant or part or derivative thereof shall be the property of the Central Government.

Name of National Parks, Year of Notification and Total Area is as follows…

S. No.	Name of National Park	Year of Notification	Total Area(km²)
1	Clouded Leopard National Park	2007	5.08
2	Rajbari National Park	2007	31.63

Gumati Wildlife Sanctuary

Gumati Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife sanctuary in Tripura, India. It covers an area of about 389.54 square kilometres (150.40 sq mi).

About: This sanctuary is the place for many animals like elephants, sambar, buffalo, yapping deer, sarow and wild goat and numerous more. Reptiles have additionally discovered a home in the sanctuary. The home spreads a range of 389.54 km² and is rich in flora and fauna. It is found close to the sanctuary is a huge water reservoir involving a region of 300 km². A few inhabitant and migratory birds flock to this repository and henceforth might be spotted effectively. Invest some opportunity viewing the colourful fowls and take back home a few remembrances as photos. It is the second home in state of Tripura.

Distance: Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is spotted at South Tripura region.

Specification: Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the prominent sanctuaries that speck the bush clad landscapes of Tripura; this sanctuary is a sign of the common legacy of the state and affirms the various Tripura wild life and it is one of the best places of the animal visitors. 

Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary

Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife sanctuary in Tripura, India. It covers an area of only 0.86 square kilometres (0.33 sq mi).

Situated in the north Tripura district, it can be approached from panisagar and is adjacent to the national highway. It is a small sanctuary with an area of 86 hectares and it is one of the few remnants of the natural forests left that is easily accessible to the visitors. It presents ample scope for study by the botanists. It harbours more than 150 species of birds, wild beasts and primates.The site was originally chosen for having tall trees with thick undergrowth, which was assiduously protected by some ‘Khasi’ tribal families for cultivation of pan (betel leaves). This also provided perching place for a multitude of birds.

Forest department took over the area when they left. The whole area over 86 hactares was fenced and staff were posted to manage it. It has potential for development as a centre of awareness generation in the northern parts of Tripura through regular organized visits of the school children, college students and other people including the tourists from within the state as well as from outside.

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary 

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura, India of some 18.53 square kilometres (7.15 sq mi), about 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the city centre, located in Bishalgarh. It is a woodland with an artificial lake and natural botanical and zoological gardens. It is famous for its clouded leopard enclosures. The sanctuary contains a variety of birds, primates, and other animals. The terrain is green throughout the year and the weather is temperate except for the two humid summer months of March and April. It gives shelter to about 150 species of birds and the unique bespectacled monkey, Phayre's langur. The primate section consists of four species (rhesus macaque, pig-tailed macaque, capped langur and spectacled langur). The crab-eating mongoose(last sighted in the 1930s) has been resuscitated. The sanctuary has been developed both as a wildlife sanctuary and as an academic and research centre. About 150 species of birds live in the sanctuary, and migratory birds visit in winter. Initiated in 1972 the sanctuary has five sections: carnivores, primates, ungulates, reptiles and aviary. There are several lakes;among which Amrit Sagar named lake have boating facility.

There is an accommodation at the forest where a dak bungalow, called Abasarika, near the botanical garden, zoo and boating lake attracts the tourists to have a night adventure in the middle of the forest which is a great experience.

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura, India. It covers an area of about 163.08 square kilometres (62.97 sq mi). This sanctuary is situated in South Tripura District. It is 18 kilometers away from the sub divisional town of Belonia and is connected with Agartala by state highway. It can be approached either from Belonia in the south or Sonamura in the northern side. The sanctuary has an area of 194.708 square kilometers. This sanctuary has a number of perennial water rivulets, water bodies, and grass land. In this sanctuary, there are patches of virgin forests which are rich in rare vegetation. Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary. Apart from it, there are varieties of Birds, Deers, Hollock Gibbon, Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Pheasant and many other animals and reptiles.

NATIONAL PARK IN TRIPURA

Clouded Leopard National Park

Clouded Leopard National Park is a national park in the Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary Tripura, India. It covers an area of about 5.08 square kilometres (1.96 sq mi).

Rajbari National Park

Rajbari National Park is a national park in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura, India. It covers an area of about 31.63 square kilometres (12.21 sq mi).

PROJECT NAME-WILD LIFE SANCTUARY IN TRIPURA 

MAIN BODY OF THE PROJECT

INTRODUCTION 

Tripura (22° 57' - 24° 33' North , 91° 10' - 92° 20' East) is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides, except for east, where it is bounded Assam and Mizoram. The total geographical area of the State is 10,486,00 ha (0.3% of the country’s geographical area).

The major rivers draining the State are the Khowai, the Dhalai, the Manu and the Deo. Tripura was a princely state and was not directly under the rule of British. It was annexed to the Indian Union in 1948. The State consist of low hills and river valleys. In Tripura, handloom weaving is the single largest industry. It is essentially a tribal household industry. The sericulture industry is developing fast. Tripura is also abundant in natural gas and a number of gas-based industries have sprung up (Mathew 2003).

In Tripura the climate is moist and humid. The temperatures in summer range from 21 °C to 38 °C and in winter from 7 °C to 33 °C. The average annual rainfall is about 2,500 mm. The total human population of Tripura is 3.2 million, which is 0.3% of the country’s population (2001 Census). The average population density of Tripura is 304 persons per sq. km. As per the 2001 Census, the tribal constitutes 31%. The total livestock population in the State is 1.6 million, which is 0.3% of country’s livestock population (Ministry of Environment and Forests 2001).

VEGETATION :

As per the Forest Survey of India report of 2001, the main forest types found in the State are Tropical Moist Deciduous and Semi evergreen. Tripura ranks eighth amongst States in terms of recorded forest area as percentage of the State’s geographical area (Ministry of Environment and Forests 2001). The recorded forest area is 0.63 million ha, which constitutes 60% of the total geographical area.

According to legal status, Reserved, Protected and Un-classed Forest constitute 57%, 8% and 35% of the forest area respectively. As per the Forest Survey of India report of 1999, there has been an overall increase of 40,900 ha of dense forest. This is the result of an improvement of 43,900 ha of open forest, 3900 ha of scrub and 13,700 ha of non-forest, which is partly offset by the degradation of 20,600 ha of dense forest to open forest (Ministry of Environment and Forests 1999). The gain in forest cover is mainly due to re-growth in the abandoned shifting cultivation areas (Ministry of Environment and Forests 1999). The decrease of 21,000 ha of open forest is on account of the conversion of 43,900 ha of open forest to dense forest. The decrease is also associated with the conversion of 20,600 ha of dense forest, 1,700 ha of scrub and 600 ha of non-forest to Open forest (Ministry of Environment and Forests 1999).

According to the Forest Survey of India report of 1999, there are 855 villages in the State of which 644 have forest as a land use. The total forest area in such villages is 0.57 million ha. The villages having less than 100 ha, between 100-500 ha and more than 500 ha forest each constitute 13%, 40 % and 47% of the total villages, respectively.

IBAs AND PROTECTED AREAS

The State has four wildlife sanctuaries, namely Gumti, Trishna, Sipahijala and Roa. The total area under the protected area network is 60,362 ha constituting 5.76% of the geographical area (Rodgers et al. 2000). Only two protected areas are identified as IBAs, Gumti and Trishna.

IBAs of Tripura

IBA sute code                         IBA site names                           IBA criteria

IN-TR-01                                Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary            A1, A4i

IN-TR-02                                Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary         Data Deficient

AVIFAUNA

Tripura is one of the states of India where very little is known about birds. It is a completely Data Deficient State. However, looking at the forest cover, the bird life would be quite rich. Both the IBAs fall in the Eastern Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA 130) (Stattersfield, et al. 1998). Twenty one birds are listed in this EBA as restricted range species. Many species are likely to occur in Gumati and Trishna wildlife sanctuaries. A few surveys were carried out by Anwaruddin Choudhury (IBCN Northeast Coordinator) in the State and he proposed the two IBAs. He has reported only the Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus from Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary. In the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, small wetlands created as water sources for wildlife now attract many species of waterfowl.

Endemic Bird Areas

Very little is known about the bird diversity in Tripura but it lies in the Endemic Bird Areas of Eastern Himalayas (EBA 130), where Subtropical hill forest and Temperate forest species could be found if proper surveys are conducted. The key threats to these areas and species are moderate habitat loss (e.g. due to logging, agriculture,

overgrazing) and hunting (Stattersfield et al. 1998).

Biomes

The IBAs of Tripura fall in one biome: Biome-9 (Indo-Chinese Tropical Moist Forest) which has Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest, Semi-evergreen Rain Forest and Moist Deciduous Forest. As bird information is insufficient, we do not know how many biome species are found in Tripura.

THREATS AND CONSERVATION ISSUES

Like other states of the northeast, Tripura also suffers from the problems of shifting cultivation (Jhum), deforestation and unsustainable hunting. Most of the large mammals and birds,especially galliforms, have already disappeared or have become

extremely rare. Two threatened birds, the White Winged Duck Cairina scutulata and the Green Peafowl Pavo muticus were reportedly present in the part, however, there is no recent report (A. U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2004). Among larger mammals, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Gaur Bos frontalis and Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa (Choudhury 2003) are still found in small numbers. One of the IBAs, Gumti, has a unique problem. This wetland sanctuary was created when a dam and barrage were built for a hydroelectric project in 1974 across the Gumati river, near the confluence of the Raima and Sarma rivers. Large-scale displacement of people took place when their agricultural fields and villages were submerged. The villagers were settled on the nearby hills, leading to forest clearance and conflict with local inhabitants. After the discovery of huge gas reserves in Tripura, the importance of the Gumati hydroelectric dam as a source of energy has decreased. Therefore, there is a proposal to de-commission the power plant, dismantle the dam and revert the submerged areas to the villagers. If this happens, Gumati wetlands IBA would also disappear. But, at the same time, the forest which was cleared for displaced people would also remain with them.

In the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, a 500 MW thermal power plant is planned by the Northeast Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). The foundation stone for the 25 million dollar power plant that is to come up at Morakchak was laid in March 2002. NEEPCO had approached the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) for a commitment to provide uninterrupted natural gas for 15 years. A Supreme Court order preventing drilling or construction within or near a protected area, however, disallowed ONGC from committing to such an undertaking. It is reported that NEEPCO has approached foreign agencies for funding. In case this plan is allowed due to its strategic importance to the nation, a proper environmental impact analysis should be done by an independent agency and its recommendations strictly followed to minimize danger to the Sanctuary.

REFERENCES

1. Choudhury, A.U. (2003). The cats in Northeast India. Cat News 39:15-19.

2. Mathew, K. M. (ed.) (2003) Manorama Yearbook 2003. Malayana Manorama, Kottayam.

3. Ministry of Environment and Forests (1999) Forest Survey of India Report – 1999. Government of India. New Delhi.

4. Ministry of Environment and Forests (2001) Forest Survey of India Report – 2001. Government of India. New Delhi.

5. Rodgers, W. A., Panwar, H. S. and Mathur, V. B. (2000) Wildlife Protected Area Network in India: A Review (Executive Summary). Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun. Pp 44.

6. Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 7. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

Collected by-Sri Sanjoy Souriyo Pal

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