ITANAGAR: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declared Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh as an official Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), along with Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve.
This is regarded as the first major step towards further upscaling the conservation approach at these critical habitats and their distinctive ecosystems.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has welcomed the declaration, thus paving the way to focus on specific conservations for the endangered wildlife and rare flora species found within these reserves.
Namley in Changlang district, the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve boasts rich biodiversity and picturesque landscapes, while the Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve in Lohit district harbours equally stunning natural riches.
This newly announced declaration extends to an earlier declaration of the previous declaration declaring Pakke Tiger Reserve to be in the ESZ category dating back to February 2024, which reflects a massive effort toward environmental conservation in this region .
These Eco-Sensitive Zones would reduce human impacts on the environment and enable them to be able to build an environment that can exist for future generations by following sustainable practices.
The ESZ status aims at environmental protection and preservation of ecosystem health in the out-of-protected zones who are vulnerable to human activities and climate change.
ESZ, according to the National Environment Policy of 2006, is characterized as areas that are of unique environmental significance which require special efforts for conservation.
Situated in the Arunachal Pradesh region of Northeast India, Namdapha National Park is a vast protected area covering an area of about 1,985 square kilometers or approximately 766 square miles.
The park is considered a biodiversity hotspot of the Eastern Himalayas with over 1,000 species of plants and nearly 1,400 species of animals. This region is the northernmost in the world, as lowland evergreen rainforests located at a latitude of 27°N.
It is also inhabited by great dipterocarp forests and is a portion of the Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rainforests ecoregion.
The Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1989, is one of India's 50th tiger reserves. Located in the Lohit District of the state of Arunachal Pradesh, it is also densely covered with flora and fauna. It is named after the Kamlang River that runs through it.
There are numerous tribal communities in this area, which include Mishmi, Digaro Mishmi, Miju Mishmi-their lineage is said to be tracked back through the King Rukmo of the great epic Mahabharata. In the belief of these tribes, there is a tale about an invisible god called Suto Phenkhenynon jamalu. Among the features of this sanctuary includes Glow Lake.
The sanctuary lies in the tropical and subtropical climate, harbouring all the four big feline species found in India - the tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, and the snow leopard.
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