105th National Park of India : Dehing Patkai National Park

 

Recently a major decision was made by the government of Assam by upgrading the status of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary to National Park. The announcement was officially made by the CM of Assam, Mr. Sarbnanda Sonowal, via tweet after a meeting with the responsible ministers. The area of the sanctuary was in news few months back when the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) provided conditional clearance to a coal-mining project by the Coal India Limited (CIL). This step ignited a state-wide virtual protest. The decision to upgrade the status of the Sanctuary was announced a month ago, on 06th July and has been since linked to that of coal-mining. This is the tweet that CM Sonowal used to announce the news.

Where is Dehing Patkai?

Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Assam’s easternmost districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. This is an intensely dense rainforest patch which spans around 575 sq.km, but the area protected under sanctuary is 111.19 sq.km, which is encircled within the larger Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. Dehing River, which originates from the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, flows through the sanctuary. To the south and south-east of the forest area is Patkai mountain range. Digboi city, where India’s first oil refinery is located, is located to the northeast of the forest. Refinery is less than a kilometre away from the outskirts of the forest.

Key Features of the Newly Allocated National Park

Dehing Patkai National Park will be the 105th National Park of the country. The last National Park, i.e., 104th National Park, was announced in 2018(Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh). Dehing Patkai is also called the Jeypore Rainforest. With already 5 National Parks of the states, it will be the 6th National Park. The forest is intensively packed and blooming with all sorts of life forms. Dehing Patkai is well known for its biodiversity richness. As a matter of fact, when Dehing Patkai was recognized as a sanctuary back in 2004, some people argued that the status of the forest should be raised to National Park immediately. But as we know, nothing happened at that time. The region is famous for a number of plants and animal species. Some are: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cats, giant squirrels, golden cats, pangolins, slow loris, flying fox, sambar, hoolock gibbons among others. More than 30 species of butterflies and 293 birds’ species also reside in the area. The region is also the home of the world’s longest venomous snake, King Cobra. Due to the denseness of the forest, it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Amazon of the East’.

Why upgrade?

Although both National Parks and WLS (Wildlife Sanctuaries) are designated for the same fundamental purpose (to protect, propagate or develop wildlife or its environment), there are some differences between the two. WLS allow some restricted human activities inside the sanctuary, in accordance to Wildlife Protection Act-1972 (WPA-1972). On the other hand, National Parks (NPs) do not allow any human activity in the area, except the ones permitted by the Chief Warden Officer himself/herself, under the conditions specified in WPA-1972, chapter IV. Usually, NPs are larger with more profound boundaries than that of sanctuaries. As compared to 104 existing National parks, Sanctuaries are 551 in number. So, the upgrading of Dehing Patkai WLS will not only increase the protection of wildlife, but it will also decrease the cases of mining in the area. Stricter rules and less human interference will ensure a better and brighter future for the region.

According to the National Wildlife Database report 2019, 5.02% of total area of the country is protected by the law. This area includes National Parks (1.23%), WL Sanctuaries (3.64%), Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves. Yet, our dependence on the forest is overwhelming. Forests, especially protected areas, need more investment of capital, time and efforts to ensure the maintenance and good health of the forest. More such steps are required in the whole country and I believe it is time that political parties should prioritize environmental issues in their mandates above anything else. 

Team Knowledge Villa hopes you learnt something new today.

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