THE STATE OF WILDLIFE IN NORTH-EAST INDIA 1996-2011 A Compilation of News from the Protected Area Update Edited by PANKAJ SEKHSARIA Edited by PANKAJ SEKHSARIA PANKAJ by Edited 1996-2011 For over a decade and a half the Protected Area Update (PAU) has religiously presented a consolidated account of India’s wildlife and protected area (PA) network. Published six times a year, it carries in a tightly edited format, news and information of what is happening in, to and around these national parks and sanctuaries that have been at the core of India’s wildlife conservation strategy. Now, for the first time a section of this huge body of information has been re-organised to become ‘The State of Wildlife in North-East India – 1996-2011’. What is presented here, then, is an historical account of developments in the PA network in the eight states of the region. While the primary unit still remains the individual protected area, the time line has changed from two months of one issue to 15 years that this publication covers. In following one news item after another about any particular PA we see what happened month after month, year after year; what developments recurred at what periodicity; what were the issues that were important and what was done about them – it’s an important glimpse into the contemporary history of a place (many places) marked on the map as a protected area. THE STATE OF WILDLIFE IN NORTH-EAST INDIA OF THE STATE Foundation for Ecological Security Post Box No. 29, Anand 388001, Gujarat, India Email: [email protected] Website: www.fes.org.in Foundation for Ecological Security bihar PROTECTED AREA UPDATE News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia Vol. XVIII No. 5 October 2012 (No. 99) LIST OF CONTENTS Merchants federation urges exclusion of Valparai EDITORIAL 3 from Anaimalai TR The real costs of ‘Coalgate’ In-principle nod for Sathyamangalam TR; proposal for TR status for Srivilliputhur NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES Grizzled Squirrel and Meghamalai WLS Assam 3 CEC rejects road connecting Theni forests and Two poachers killed in Rajiv Gandhi (Orang) NP Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Sanctuary Elephant killed by speeding train near Amchang Delay in relocation from Mudumalai TR Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 11 Gujarat 4 Thermal power plant in Sonbhadra rejected Scanty rainfall in Gir; FD makes alternative because of proximity to Kaimur WLS arrangement Karnataka 4 NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA 11 State opposes TR status for Kudremukh CBSE warns against use of rare/endangered Kerala 5 species in classrooms Solar powered fences for Wayanad forests Coal mining threat to 1.1 million ha of forest, over Madhya Pradesh 5 10 tiger reserves in Central India Tribal museum to be set up near Kanha TR The IBN Network Young Indian Leader award for Maharashtra 6 Kamal Medhi Wildlife conservation plan for Chandrapur district TN Khushoo Memorial Award for Vidya Athreya Panel for management plan for Pench Tiger Five new tiger reserves approved Reserve buffer zone State wildlife board clears Gargai Dam; to SOUTH ASIA 13 submerge part of Tansa WLS Bhutan, India, and Nepal agree to enhance Nagaland 7 cooperation in the Kanchenjunga Landscape Workshop on Community Conserved Areas in Nagaland FES in the North-East Orissa 8 Alternative livelihoods planned for Simlipal forest dwellers Rajasthan 8 Mordoongri village moves out of Ranthambhore To highlight the need for conservation More tigers to be re-located to Sariska TR Bangladesh Tamil Nadu 9 10,000 deer killed every year in the Sundarbans action in the highly diverse ecological, Buffer zones notified for Anaimalai, Mudumalai and Kalakkad Mundanthurai TRs social and physical landscapes of the north-eastern region of the country, FES set up its regional office in Guwahati in The Protected Area Update started publication in 1996 and August 2011. fulfils an important need of news and information related to protected areas from across South Asia, particular India. The With the intent of helping create a newsletter is published six times a year and mailed to nearly larger constituency for ‘Communities in 1800 people. Additionally, it goes out in an electronic form to Conservation’ in the region, FES plans to: about 2000 individuals via an e-discussion group – ‘paupdate@ • provide support on effective land use yahoogroups.com’ and now also has it’s own facebook group page planning and conservation through https://www.facebook.com/groups/protectedareaupdate/ community institutions; • partner with local agencies, understand The Protected Area Update is published by Kalpavriksh and the complexities and add value to local edited by Pankaj Sekhsaria. Financial support for the newsletter efforts; has been provided by a number of organisations over the years. • support local youth through These include, among others, the Foundation for Ecological fellowships to further the thinking Security, Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust, World and spread awareness on issues of Wide Fund for Nature – India, Bombay Natural History Society, conservation in the region; Greenpeace India, and Action Aid India. Many individuals have • undertake studies that help in also extended support either as donations or by sending in a promoting conservation and local subscription. governance in the region. Protected Area Update Foundation for Ecological Security c/o Kalpavriksh, Apt 5, Sri Dutta Krupa, Pune 411004, Maharashtra. Regional Cell - North East Tel: 020-25654239 House No. 13, J. Baruah Road, Email: [email protected] Guwahati Club, Guwahati 781003, Assam. Web: http://kalpavriksh.org/index.php/conservation- Email: [email protected] livelihoods1/protected-area-update.html Web: www.fes.org.in THE STATE OF WILDLIFE IN NORTH-EAST INDIA 1996-2011 A compilation of news from the Protected Area Update Edited by PANKAJ SEKHSARIA CREDITS Editor : Pankaj Sekhsaria Co-ordination : Pankaj Sekhsaria, Nimesh Ved, Kiran Kumari Editorial inputs and support : Anuradha Arjunwadkar, Sanjay Sharma, Nimesh Ved, Reshma Jathar, Wrutuja Botre, Arya Rastogi Editorial Team of the : Neena Singh, Saloni Suri, Ashish Kothari, Protected Area Update 1994-2012 Priya Das, K Christopher, Suniti Jha, Farhad Vania, Vishal Thakre, Sangeeta Kaintura, Virender Anand, Anuprita Patel, Aanchal Kapur, Yashodhara, Vidya, Roshni Kutty Illustrations : Peeyush Sekhsaria, Madhuvanti Anantharajan Cover Map : Foundation for Ecological Security Design : Elizabeth Thomas, Narendra Kulkarni Printer : Anand Press, Xavier Educational Training Centre, Anand, Gujarat COMMON ACRONYMS USED ER : Elephant Reserve FD : Forest Department IUCN : International Union for Conservation of Nature MoEF : Ministry of Environment and Forests NE : North-East NH : National Highway NP : National Park PA : Protected Area RF : Reserve Forest TR : Tiger Reserve WLPA : Wild Life Protection Act WLS : Wildlife Sanctuary WTI : Wildlife Trust of India WWF-India : World Wide Fund for Nature – India Note: Maps in the document are representational and not to scale. CONTENTS Editor’s Note 5 SECTION 1: News & Information 1. North-East India Regional News 10 2. Arunachal Pradesh 17 3. Assam 27 4. Manipur 165 5. Meghalaya 175 6. Mizoram 187 7. Nagaland 193 8. Sikkim 199 9. Tripura 209 SECTION 2: Analysis & Perspective 1. The Print Media’s Kaziranga obsession: An Analysis 214 Mehak Siddiqui & C Rajesh Reddi 2. Replenishing empty forests: A case study of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in western Assam 221 Sonali Ghosh 3. Snow leopards in the land of the rising sun 227 Yash Veer Bhatnagar 4. Karbi Anglong: A little known wilderness of Assam 233 Anwaruddin Choudhury 5. Driving down a forested lane: Elephants and other memories of the Garo Hills 238 Nimesh Ved 6. Let wildlife and PAs be damned! 242 Neeraj Vagholikar 7. Community conservation of wildlife in the north-east 249 Neema Pathak SECTION 3: Annexures 1. Statistical overview of PAs in the north-east 262 2. Overview of wildlife conservation and the PA network in India 265 3. Unclassed forests and loss of forest cover in the north-east 271 4. Protected Area Update 99 272 Editor’s Note For 17 years and still running, the Protected In some senses what is presented here is an Area Update (PAU) has religiously presented historical account of developments in the a consolidated account of India’s wildlife PA network in the eight states that constitute and protected area (PA) network. Published what is known as India’s north-east. The ex- six times a year, it carries in a tightly edited ercise we have carried out is a rather simple format, news and information of what is hap- one – cut, re-organise and paste. While the pening in, to and around these national parks primary unit of reporting still remains the and sanctuaries that have been at the core of individual protected area, the time line has India’s wildlife conservation strategy. It is changed from two months of one issue of the based almost entirely on what the English PAU to 15 years, almost the entire life span media in India reports on wildlife and is per- of the publication. This sleight of hand, ac- haps, the most comprehensive account of its tually that of the computer mouse, allows us kind of the developments in the PA system a glimpse into the contemporary history of a for the last decade and a half. With nearly place (many places) marked on the map as a 4000 stories and news reports carried over the protected area. In following one news item period of it’s existence, it is evident that the after another of this one particular place we PAU is a huge and valuable database. Thus see what happened month after month, year far, however, the newsletter has appeared in after year; what developments recurred at a fi xed, standardized format: it appears every what periodicity; what were the issues that two months, the reporting is organized state were important and what was done about wise and the primary unit of the information them, if anything needed to be done or was is the protected area.