MANAGEMENT PLAN (2011 - 2016) DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK RASHID Y. NAQASH WILDLIFE WARDEN CENTRAL AND LALIT KUMAR SHARMA RESEARCH SCHOLAR CONTENTS INTRODUCATION I-II EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE MANAGEMENT PLAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Part-I Page Chapter 1. Introduction to the area 1.1 Name, location, Construction and extent 1.1.1. Name and History 1.1.2. Location 1.1.3. Constitution 1.1.4. Extent 1.2 Approach and access 1.3 Statement of significance Chapter 2. Background information and attributes 2.1 Boundaries 2.1.1. Legal 2.1.2. Internal 2.2 Geology, Rock and Soil 2.3 Terrain 2.4 Climate 2.4.1. Rainfall pattern and distribution 2.4.2. Temperature a summary of year round pattern 2.4.3. Humidity 2.4.4. Drought 2.5 Water Sources 2.6 Range of wildlife, Status, Distribution and habitat 2.6.1. Vegetation 2.6.1.1. Biogeography classification 2.6.1.2. Forest types, cover and food for wild animals 2.6.2. Animals 2.6.2.1. Vertebrates, their status, distribution and habitat 2.6.2.2. Limiting factors 2.6.2.3. Important invertebrates, their status, distribution and habitat Chapter 3. History of management and present practices 3.1. General 3.2. Timber operation including firewood harvest 3.3. Non-wood forest procedure collection 3.4. Leases 3.5. Other programmes and activities 3.6. Forest protection 3.6.1. Legal status 3.6.2. Hunting 3.6.3. Illegal activities 3.6.4. Domestic livestock grazing 3.6.5. Wildfires 3.6.6. Insect attacks and pathological problems 3.7. Tourism 3.8. Research, Monitoring and Training 3.8.1. Research monitoring 3.8.2. Training 3.9. Wildlife Conservation Strategies 3.10. Administrative Set-up 3.11. Communication 3.12. Summary of threats to wildlife Chapter 4. The protected areas and the interface land use situation 4.1. The existing situation in the zone of influence 4.1.1. Location, Extent, Boundaries and natural attribute of the zone of influence 4.1.2. Village inside and outside the protected areas 4.1.3. State of the people’s economy 4.1.4. Implications of land use and resource dependency for the conservation of P.A 4.1.5. Forest/PA management practices and their implications for people 4.2. Development programmes and conservation issues Part-II PROPOSED MANAGEMENT Chapter 5. Plan objectives and problems 5.1. Objectives of management 5.2. Problems in achieving objectives 5.2.1. Problems in achieving objectives No.1 5.2.2. Problems in achieving objectives No.2 5.2.3. Problems in achieving objectives No.3 5.2.4. Problems in achieving objectives No.4 5.2.5. Problems in achieving objectives No.5 Chapter 6. Strategies 6.1. Boundaries 6.1.1. Ecological Boundaries 6.2. Zonation and zone plan 6.2.1. Core zone 6.2.2. Restoration zone 6.2.3. Buffer zone 6.2.4. Tourism zone 6.3. Theme plans 6.3.1. Control of poaching 6.3.2. Control of grazing and biotic 6.3.3. Weed control 6.3.4. Controlling ranging pattern of wild animals outside managed habitat 6.3.5. Erosion monitoring and control 6.3.6. Animal health surveillance 6.3.7. Man-animal Co-existence 6.3.8. Development of infrastructure and Communication 6.3.9. Management of quarantine areas or captivity center of rescued animals Chapter 7. Tourism, Interpretation and Conservation Education 7.1. General 7.2. Objectives 7.3. Problems 7.4. Strategies Chapter 8. Eco-development 8.1. Objectives 8.2. Specific issues 8.3. Broad strategies 8.4. Village level site specific strategies 8.5. Monitoring and Evaluation Chapter 9. Research and Monitoring 9.1. Research and monitoring 9.1.1. Overview of Research and Monitoring 9.1.1.1. Research 9.1.1.2. Monitoring 9.1.1.3. Infrastructure and Present Status 9.1.1.4. Research Advisory Committee 9.1.1.5. Research Funding 9.1.1.6. Identification of Research thrust areas and topics 9.1.1.7. Research Project Undertaken in Dachigam NP 9.1.1.8. Management Information System 9.2. Training Chapter 10. Organization and Administration 10.1. Structure and responsibilities 10.1.1. Present set up 10.1.2. Proposed staff pattern 10.2. Staff amenities Chapter 11. The Budget 11.1. Plan Budget Chapter 12. Schedule of operations Part III ANNEXURES CONTROL FORMS Introduction The Jammu and Kashmir state is the northern most state of the country and known for its biodiversity, natural beauty and for the uniqueness found in the species composition. The rapidly increasing population, infrastructure development is causing deforestation, depletion of natural resources and conditions of paucity. The Himalayas, which play vital role not only in Indian but also in sub-continental economy, is in the grip of environmental degradation. The carrying capacity of the Himalaya is decreasing day by day due to the heavy pressure of both increasing human and livestock population. Historically, local communities were dependent on natural resources for there livelihood. The Western Himalayas state Jammu and Kashmir supports a diverse array of cultures, resource uses, and management traditions in spiritual beliefs. The Western Himalayan ecosystem, of which Jammu and Kashmir is a part, has been recognised as a repository of local conservation traditions that promote the careful use of natural resources in order to maintain a long-term sustainability and to support local socio- economic condition. However, these mountainous areas undergo rapid socio-economic and environmental changes due to hasty increase in population, forest degradation and developmental activity. The outstanding conservation values made Dachigam National Park as one of the most important protected areas and it holds the last viable population of Kashmir stag ‘Hangul’. The recent study states that Dachigam holds one of the largest population of Asiatic black bear in Asia. For the maintenance of the physical and demographic integrity of the site and rich wildlife resources in Dachigam national Park need more scientific management with a long term planning process. In the changing world management of wildlife as a separate planning strategy is quite newer than the mainstream forest management. The current management plan is the first management plan which is prepared by following the guidelines developed by Wildlife Institute of India and the manual for planning wildlife management in protected area and managed forest. Though the management plan is written for the period of five years, it is necessary to revise after the completion of the period on regular basis to incorporate and upgrade the changes which are caused due to dynamic nature of habitat and accrued knowledge after research publications. It is felt that the management plan in the present condition is the big leap towards achieving set goals and objectives. Srinagar, 05 August, 2011 Rashid Y. Naqash Lalit Kumar Sharma Wildlife Warden Central Research Scholar Executive summary of the management plan Dachigam National Park is one of the most important protected area in Jammu and Kashmir state because it holds the last viable population of Hangul in world. The park spread over an area of 141 sq. km in the Zabarwan mountain ranges of great Himalayas. Dachigam National park harbors the last viable population of Hangul and one of the largest population of Asiatic black bear. Dachigam National park was a hunting reserve or ‘rakh’ of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir for a long time from 1910 until 1947, after that its management was handed over to Department of Hospitality and Protocol (Fisheries Department, Directorate of game preservation) and subsequently to the Forest Department. It was managed under the Wildlife wing of Forest Department and later Dachigam was declared as a sanctuary by state order no. 276/C in 1951 (Holloway, 1970; Holloway and Wani, 1970). Dachigam Wildlife sanctuary was upgraded to National Park on 4 February 1981 (state order no. FST/20) by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. The management of Dachigam NP is handed over to the newly formed Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir 1982 after separation from Forest Department. The park is divided into two administrative unit Lower and Upper Dachigam which are administered by Central and South Wildlife Division respectively. Today it is managed in IUCN category- II (National Park). So for the focus of the park management had mainly been on the protection aspect. Today the wildlife enjoying near wildness conditions, because of the proper management of the park and protection given to the habitats of wild animals but today it was needed to explore the other facets which the management of the park is facing in the changing world. The draft management plan written for the year (2011-16) focuses on important aspects with the following objectives:- 1. To maintain and to restore the demographic features of the park when ever needed relating to the population of wild animals and the plants with special focus on hangul, Asiatic black bear and rare medicinal plants found to be distributed in Dachigam National Park. 2. To maintain and restore the physical integrity of the habitats when ever needed for the long term survival of the animal species living in them. 3. To identify research priority and implement research based programs to establish mechanism and create opportunities for enhancing management capabilities and knowledge of wildlife science. 4. To enhance the quality of awareness, conservation education, recreation and wilderness experience given to the general peoples. 5. Consistent with the above four objectives, in the zone of influence with sensitivity to cultural and economical well being of the local communities and to reduce the forest dependency for there livelihood.