3 IJEAB-AUG-2016-29-Time Series Study of Rhino Habitat and Its
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International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-1, Issue-3, Sept-Oct- 2016 ISSN: 2456-1878 Time Series Study of Rhino Habitat and its Impact on Rhino Population in Gorumara National Park through Remote Sensing Technology Sumita Ghatak*1, P.T Bhutia 2, Abhijit Mitra 3, Atanu Kumar Raha 4 1,2 Forest Department, West Bengal, India 3,4 Techno India University, Salt Lake, West Bengal, India Abstract — Gorumara National Park located within Bengal habitat fragmentation has resulted in the the flood plains of Jaldhaka and Murty river in the confinement of the species in two isolated areas of Dooars area of Northern West Bengal has a mosaic of North Bengal which have been declared as Protected natural vegetation consisting of tall grasslands, Areas, namely Jaldapara National Park and Gorumara woodlands, tropical semi-evergreen forests and National Park where the Greater Indian one horned tropical moist deciduous forests, part of which get Rhinoceros is treated as the flagship sps. inundated in recurring floods. The Greater Indian One The forests of Gorumara National Park were earlier Horned Rhinoceros which is the flagship specie of this part of the Jalpaiguri Forest Division comprising an National Park has positively responded to the regular area of 2129 Acre being declared as Gorumara Wild Life Habitat Management regime introduced Game Sanctuary vide Govt. Notification No. 5181-For, since 1995 showing trends of steady increase in its dt: 02.08.49. Subsequently, notification was issued population as the habitat manipulation resulted in the under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, vide No. increase of the Rhino habitat. This review tries to 5400-For, dt: 24th June, 1976, comprising a total area establish the Rhino population dynamics vis a vis of 8.62 Sq. km. of Jalpaiguri Division declaring the increase in Rhino habitat using Remote sensing area as Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary. It was finally technology over the years since the area comes under notified as a National Park, under Wild Life purview of Protected Area network management. (Protection) Act, 1972, in the year 1998 [4,5,17 ] Keywords— Gorumara National Park (GNP), As part of Biodiversity Conservation measures under Greater Indian One Horned Rhinoceros, Rhino the National Forest Policy of 1988, initial notification Habitat, Habitat Management, Rhino Population, for constitution of Gorumara National Park was issued Remote Sensing Technology. by curbing out 79 sq km of forest areas of Jalpaiguri Forest Division and its management was handed over I. INTRODUCTION to a newly constituted Wildlife Division under the Greater Indian one-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Wildlife wing in 1995 [5,17]. uniforms), a large herbivore of Himalayan foot hill Gorumara National Park had been further extended by flood plains, is adapted to a mosaic of tall grasslands taking over possession of 474.58 Ha adjoining non and riverine forests where water and some green forest land as Compensatory Afforestaion Scheme growth remains available throughout the year. The against diversion of forest land for implementation of species has faced major setback from habitat loss and Teesta Low Dam Project Stage III and IV in Darjeeling heavy poaching. As a result, it became confined to only District during 2005-2009. certain Protected Areas (PAs) of Assam, West Bengal Prior to 1994, major management of these forest areas in India and Nepal besides a small reintroduced was to maximise timber protection followed by population in Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh in plantation of monoculture commercial species, mostly India. [4,7] Long term conservation of this species Teak and Jarul. However, with the advent of changes requires much more intensive management supported in the management of the forests under the National by detailed ecological information on the species and Park, objectives of management were prioritized with remnant habitat patches for which Remote Sensing conservation of Wildlife and biodiversity getting Technology can provide invaluable service. In West www.ijeab.com Page | 328 International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-1, Issue-3, Sept-Oct- 2016 ISSN: 2456-1878 precedence over timber harvesting, and all commercial species which also ensures the supply of diverse food operations came to a stop. items preferred by Rhino. Such diverse food along The first Management Plan of Gorumara National Park with abundant water, aquatic vegetation and woodland/ was prepared and approved by Ministry of riverine forest are crucial requirement for management Environment and Forests, Govt. of India in1997-98 for of a growing Rhino population [3]. habitat management of the National Park. This review deals with study of the Rhino population However, since the area came under Wild Life Wing in dynamics vis a vis increase in Rhino habitat using 1995 different management practices are being adapted Remote sensing technology over the years in by the Park Authority for improving the habitat of its Gorumara National Park in West Bengal, India since flagship species Greater Indian One horned the area comes under purview of Protected Area Rhinoceros and other wild animals. network. Rhino is adapted to feed mainly on fibrous food like grasses along with a wide variety of plants. Other II. MATERIALS AND METHODS components of diet include fruit, leaves, branches of Description of site: shrubs, trees as well as aquatic vegetation. Among the Gorumara N.P is situated in the Dooars region of grasses, Saccharum narenga , Saccharum Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal between longisetosum, Themeda arundinarea, Axonopus latitude 26 047’12.5” North to 26 043’25.6” North and compressus, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax are longitude 088 052’04.2” East to 088 047’07.3” East in important. Occasional flooding of the riverine areas Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal in India. lead to colonization by grasses, shrubs and pioneer tree Location Map of Gorumara National Park Gorumara National Park, besides being the home of the species was also distributed in Sankosh - Rydak flood home of the endangered Greater Indian one horned plains. Rhinos were reported to be plentiful in North Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) also harbours other Bengal till towards the end of the 19th Century. major wild animals like elephants, gaurs, leopards, According to the estimates of the Fawcus Committee different types of deer and other wildlife. There are there were about 200 rhinos in the Torsa region and a records of the past that indicates one more species of dozen so in the other pockets in North Bengal in 1920. rhino. viz. Rhinoceros sondaicus , i,e Javan Rhino The hunting records of Maharaja of Cooch Behar used to exist in North Bengal, but it became extinct indicate that about 201 rhinos were either killed or much earlier. The last recorded sighting of the species injured in North Bengal between 1871 and 1905 and was in the forests of Chilapata in 1900.[1]Besides the death figure for the period 1890-1905 was 42 [4]. Gorumara area (Jaldhaka –Murty-Diana flood plains) By the middle of twentieth century, the Greater Indian Greater Indian one horned Rhinoceros now exists only one-horned rhinoceros became extinct from most of the in Jaldapara National Park (Torsa river flood plains) in earlier natural habitats of Dooars/ Himalayan foothills West Bengal. There are records that previously this of North Bengal, except in two isolated pockets of www.ijeab.com Page | 329 International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-1, Issue-3, Sept-Oct- 2016 ISSN: 2456-1878 erstwhile Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuary (216 sq km) III. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY and Gorumara national Park (79 sq km). The 1) To prepare vegetation maps of Gorumara population of Rhino in Jaldapara and Gorumara, as per National Park using Remote Sensing technology, 1994 census were a meagre 33 and 12 respectively. for delineation of habitat niche of Rhino This National Park has 158 no. of tree species, 35 no. 2) To identify the nature of spatial and temporal of herb species, 77 no. of shrub species, 32 no. of grass changes of the habitat of Rhino over the past 15 species, 15 no. of climber species and 50 no. of orchid years vis-a-vis growth characteristics of Rhino species (identified till date). population It also harbours 48 species of mammals, more than 200 3) Delineate Habitat manipulation zones to improve species of birds, 22 species of reptiles, 7 species of fodder availability for the growing rhino turtles, 50 species of fishes, more than 300 species of population. butterflies ((identified till date)and other macro and micro fauna [5,17]. IV. METHODOLOGY This small but important National Park lies in Gorumara National Park is situated in the flood plains Biogeographic zone 7B (Lower Gangetic Plain) as of Murti-Jaldhaka river system which originate from recognized by WII, Dehradun (Rodgers and Panwar, the foothills of the Himalayas. Occasional flooding of 1988). [5,17] the floodplains and the forest areas along both banks of The forests of Gorumara belong to North Indian Moist the rivers keep on altering the extent of grassland Tropical Forest as per Champion and Seth’s which are the prime habitats of rhino. In addition, classification. However, on basis of crop composition habitat development activities like canopy opening of four major forest types namely- Riverine forests plantation forests, controlled burning of grassland, (Northern dry deciduous Seral Sal Khair Sissoo removal of overwood from grassland and plantation of Association), Sal forests (Eastern Bhabar Sal and grasses also introduces dynamic changes in the extent Easter Terai Sal), Wet mixed forests (Sub-Himalayan of foraging areas of rhino. Considering the difficulties Secondary Wet Mixed Forests) and Savannah forests encountered while making manual assessment of the (Sal Savannah) have been identified. (Source- grassland and forest composition, on frequent basis, Management Plan of Gorumara National Park for the Remote sensing technology is found to be the most period 2007-08 to 2017-18 and other publications by suitable tool for monitoring the habitat changes on real Wild Life Division-II, West Bengal Forest Dept.