ITANAGAR: Bamboo and tender cane shoots are still sold in the weekly market at Namsai in Changlang district of Arunachal pradesh even after the local administration has resolved to ban their sale.
The cane shoots and dry fishes are being openly sold openly defying every rules and local sentiments as the ban order is yet to be issued by the authority.
Hunting, poaching, deforestation and poisoning of streams and rivers continue unabated for few hundred bucks at the cost of state’s rich flora and fauna, which is a threat to the famous Namdapha National Park (NNP).
During the coordination meeting last month, it was also decided that strike forces would be deployed with the help of local police in vulnerable entry points to check these items from reaching the township, but no initiative has been taken in that direction so far.
Namdapha Project Tiger office, too, has failed in the task of spreading awareness among general public to discourage hunting, poaching, deforestation and poisoning of streams and rivers that it was entrusted with in the meeting.
The people of Miao sub-division, especially those in the buffer zone of the national park are hopeful that steps would be taken soon to minimise the threats posed.
NNP is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya bio-diversity hotspot and located along the Myanmar border in between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range.
It spans an area of 1985 sq km with 177 sq km in buffer zone and with a core area of 1808 sq km.
First declared as Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972, it was declared a National Park in 1983 and later a Tiger Reserve. However, 177.425 sq km of reserved forest was added to it under project tiger by the government of India in 1986.
It boasts of a great diversity of mammal species.
Four big cat species–snow leopards, clouded leopards, common leopards and tigers.
Other large predators are dholes, wolves and Asiatic black bears, smaller carnivores include Red Panda, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, Oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang, binturong, common palm civet, small Indian civet, large Indian civet, masked palm civet, marbled cat, fishing cat, Asiatic golden cat, and two species of mongoose.
Large herbivores are represented by elephants, wild boar, forest musk deer, Indian muntiac, hog deer, sambar, gaur, common goral, mainland serow, taqkin, and bharal, seven species of non-human primates –stump-tailed macaque, slow lorries, Hoolock gibbons, Capped langur, Assamese macaque and Rhesues macaques besides the critically endangered Flying Squirrels, only found in the park. About 425 bird species, including the majestic Hornbils, the state birds, are seen in flocks in the park and the While-bellied Heron, a critically endangered bird recorded for the first time in 1994.
However, the increasing human activities, particularly by those living in the fringe areas, have been posing serious threats to the Park for which the locals led by Society for Eco Awareness and Conservation of Wildlife secretary Phupla Singpho and pancahyat leaders have been pleading with the state government for taking urgent steps for the protection of the famous park. (UNI)