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Introduction

Kamlang Tiger Reserve (KTR) is the 50th tiger reserve of the country, notified on 6 March 2017 with a 696 km2 area as the core, an 87 km2 area as the buffer and a total area 783 km2. KTR has a locational advantage of being surrounded by forest areas—Namdapha Tiger Reserve in the south, Kamlang Reserve Forest in the west and north and an un-classed state forest to its east, with this larger landscape being connected to Hukawng Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar.

The uniqueness of KTR lies in its astonishing biodiversity and endemism. BIt is a part of the larger Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hot Spot, some parts of which are explored and many more are yet to be explored. It is home to critically endangered animal species like the Malayan sun bear, hoolock gibbon, white-bellied heron and capped langur. The top predators here are many—the tiger, clouded leopard, wild dog and leopard cat—and so are the diverse prey species—Himalayan serow, sambar, red goral, wild boar, barking deer, etc.. The primates found in the tiger reserve include the stump-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, Bengal slow loris and hoolock gibbon. KTR is home to many species of charismatic and endangered bird like the white-bellied heron and the blood pheasant.

KTR has six vegetation types—Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests, Tropical Semi Evergreen Forests, Sub-tropical Semi Evergreen Forests, Moist Bamboo Forests, Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests, and Moist Alpine Scrub Forests and they consist of woodlands, grasslands and wetlands. A total of 150 tree species have been reported from the tiger reserve, and they include Canarium resiniferum, Terminalia chebula, Gmelina arborea and Amoora wallichii. Approx 6 species of orchid have also been identified. Endemic plant species like Sapria himalayana, Mishmi tita and Coptis teeta have also been identified from the tiger reserve. The grasslands are mostly confined to riverine areas and higher altitude meadows.

Rain is received from both the south-west and north-east monsoons, and the area is also criss-crossed by four major rivers—the Lohit, Lang, Kamlang and Lati—that drain into/from the Brahmaputra. Perennial rivers, like the Lai, Lati, Kamlang, Tawa, Sinbrai, Lan and Tawai and Glaw Lake form many wetland areas inside the TR, and these wetlands are also the habitat of many species such as the otter, turtles and birds.

KTR has 24 villages around its periphery, and the nearest villages (Gundri and Kamja) are about 7 km from its boundary. There is almost no anthropogenic pressure from the villages. Livestock, except for mithun, which at times are left inside the buffer forest area to graze, do not enter the tiger reserve.

After visiting Kamlang Tiger Reserve (KTR), the MEE team made the following observations with respect to its strengths, weaknesses and required immediate actions:

Management Strengths:

KTR forms a part of large landscape complex along with Namdapha and other connecting forests in India and Myanmar that holds the oldest tiger gene pool of the North-Eastern Hills.
The TR is inviolate, with no human habitations, both in the core and buffer areas, the nearest village being 7 km from its boundary. Hence the biotic pressure on this tiger reserve is negligible.
The area is floristically very diverse, comprising six vegetation types and a large number of endemic plant species, providing excellent habitats for the conservation of tigers, co-predators, ungulates, endemic primates, amphibians and many species of charismatic and endangered bird.
Fringe villages identify themselves with the forests and wildlife both culturally and socially, which provide an additional advantage when involving them in long-term conservation initiatives of this TR.

Management Weaknesses:

KTR is a recently notified TR carved out of Namdapha Tiger Reserve. Most of the areas of the TR have difficult and inaccessible terrain and lack sufficient protection infrastructure such as roads, patrolling paths, check posts, watch towers and bridges. The core area of 696 km2 has only four anti-poaching camps, and these are not deep inside the tiger reserve but are confined primarily to the border areas and concentrated in a very small part of the tiger reserve. Hence, the tiger reserve management is not in a position to maintain a watch over the entire area, both through manpower or use of modern gadgets and technology.
Presently, the TR has only one range and a skeletal staff. Only 20 frontline staff positions are filled up against the sanctioned strength of 46. Accordingly, a large part of the tiger reserve is still not manned, and many areas are rarely patrolled by the staff.
The tiger reserve lacks adequate financial resources for creating adequate new infrastructure like residential buildings for staff, camp sheds and patrolling tracks. The resources are also inadequate for maintaining the available meagre infrastructure. The TR requires infusion of funds on a larger scale, at least initially, to bring it on par with other tiger reserves.
The arms available with KTR are unserviceable. They do not have binoculars in required numbers, and there are no cameras for recording evidence recording. There is a lack of M-STrIPES-compatible mobile phones, and all deficiencies have a negative impact on the conservation efforts of KTR and the morale of the staff.
Despite difficult working conditions and an inhospitable terrain fraught with dangers of different types, many of the staff, including the contingency staff, are not covered under any insurance scheme.
Kamlang Tiger Reserve does not have a sanctioned post of a veterinary doctor. The veterinary services are presently being provided by the veterinarians of Wildlife Trust of India, Tinsukia, Assam, which is an approximately 4-hour journey from Wakro, the headquarters of Kamlang Tiger Reserve. Hence in cases of acute emergencies, this may prove costly.
The state government has notified 73 km2 area for tourism in the buffer area of 87 km2. However, scant tourist facilities are available. These include a track of about 1 km length from Sinbarai Camp. Another tourism site is Glaw Lake which is spread over 82 ha. Both these areas need upgrading in addition to the establishment of an interpretation centre. The existing system of providing guides, drivers, hikers, etc., who accompany visitors, is informal without the active involvement of the tiger reserve management. It is important that the services provided to the tourists also be formalized.
KTR does not have a very effective mechanism for disseminating information for visitors in the form of brochures, signage and sign boards at important places, including alongside roads. TR is yet to launch its own website.
Although the footfall in the tiger reserve is not heavy, an institutional mechanism for collecting and analysing feedback is required. The lack of one has deprived the TR of important inputs and suggestions for improvement that could have been utilized for its betterment in general and improving the tourist facilities in particular.
Constitution of eco-development committees (EDCs) in fringe-area villages for empowerment of local communities and garnering their long-term support for conservation of the TR, is in a preliminary stage as this reserve has been created recently. Establishment of self-help groups (SHGs) of rural poor women from the fringe villages and training them in livelihood-generation activities is a welcome step. But these SHGs are stand-alone groups and are not linked with an institutional mechanism, and hence there is always a danger that they may not continue for long and might go to oblivion with the shifting of the present incumbents.
Despite the reserve being a biodiversity hotspot and home to a wide variety of plants and animals, many of which are yet to be identified, not many studies have been carried out. The tiger reserve management is yet to attract the attention of local universities and research institutions for exploring this area.
Despite being a tiger reserve of the state that has promulgated the Pakke Declaration, which emphasizes climate-resilient forestry and rapid realization of the impacts of climate change, the reserve is yet to institute studies on carbon storage, carbon capture and carbon loss.
The tiger reserve is yet to initiate action on a few prescriptions made in the Tiger Conservation Plan. Some of them are listed here:
- Corridors identified in the 2018 report "Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India”, need to be worked upon for prioritization of linkages, development of land use approach, etc.
- Namsai and Anjaw forest divisions have contiguous boundaries with Kamlang TR. KTR has requested the two divisions to incorporate tiger conservation in their respective working plans. But the action taken by these two territorial forest divisions is not known.
- The Tiger Conservation Plan of KTR has prescribed a step-by-step approach to be followed on land use around the fringe villages. But not much information is available about the land use and structures of these fringe villages and hence needs to be taken up on priority.

Immediate Actionable Points:

On the basis of the field visits of the MEE team, their interactions with the frontline staff, retired employees, the Field Director and his team, the following action points emerge in Kamlang Tiger Reserve, which need immediate attention and action by the state government and the Field Director, as the case may be:

All efforts need to be made to keep the entire core area of the tiger reserve as inviolate aimed at conserving its uniqueness, huge biodiversity, both floral and faunal, and high endemism.
The state government needs to increase the number of ranges and further augment the staff strength of the TR keeping in mind its area, uniqueness, difficult terrain and inaccessibility. Filling up of the existing vacancies (26 vacant posts of frontline staff against the sanctioned strength of 46) should be the first step, followed by augmentation of the sanctioned strength to about 124, as suggested in the Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP).
Presently there are only four anti-poaching camps, and these are restricted to a few accessible areas of the TR. There is an urgent need to suitably increase the number of camps and cover all the sensitive areas of the reserve.
Being a new tiger reserve, sufficient infrastructure like residential buildings, roads, patrolling paths, check posts, watch towers and bridges are not available within the tiger reserve. Accordingly, the state government/NTCA have to provide sufficient funds, at least initially, so that all necessary good quality infrastructure, necessary to augment protection of this new but unique TR, is put in place in time.
To provide the services of a veterinarian to KTR, the state government may consider either posting a full time veterinary officer to the tiger reserve or may like to train a veterinary officer of the state animal husbandry department, posted at Wakro, the headquarters of KTR, in wildlife aspects.
The tourist facilities available at the tiger reserve are rudimentary and need to be greatly augmented, including the establishment of an interpretation centre.
The Field Director may take appropriate steps to formalize the existing system of providing guides, drivers, hikers etc. to visitors and tourists.
The Field Director also needs to immediately launch its own website, which should be interactive and user-friendly and contain sufficient information about the reserve, its activities, etc. Additionally, KTR needs to prepare brochures, etc. for dissemination among tourists, visitors and the villagers of the fringe villages and establish signage and sign boards at important places, including alongside roads.
The Field Director needs to devise a feedback system for visitors. The feedback received needs to be compiled, analysed and then ploughed back for further improving and strengthening the management and tourist facilities.
The Field Director, Kamlang Tiger Reserve needs to expedite the process of formation of eco-development committees in the fringe villages and start involving them in various activities of the tiger reserve so that they develop a stake in the existence and well-being of the tigers and the tiger reserve. For the SHGs formed in the fringe villages to be sustainable, there is a need to work in close association with the Rural Development Department of Government of Arunachal Pradesh, through the State Rural Livelihood Mission, which is implementing the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM). This programme is for empowering rural poor women by federating them in SHGs and augmenting their livelihoods. It is imperative that KTR take advantage of this scheme of the rural development department to take the SHGs to greater heights.
The Field Director, KTR is required to immediately liase with and invite the local universities and research institutions to explore the hitherto unexplored areas of the tiger reserve, not only for documentation of various floral and faunal species but also to study the interaction of various ecological factors and their impacts etc.
To practice climate resilient forestry, as per Pakke Declaration, the Field Director, KTR has to get studies done in this regard, including studies on carbon storage, carbon capture and carbon loss but also so that the state and the country are ready to face the challenges posed by climate change.
As KTR is a newly constituted tiger reserve, it requires a steady flow of funds at a desired level. The KTR management also needs to liaise with donors for resources and with NGOs for initiatives for building the capacity of the staff.
Considering the difficult terrain of KTR and the inaccessibility and un-approachability of the area, it is important that the conservation efforts be supplemented by the state government with:
- long endurance drones, suitable for the terrain
- providing remote sensing applications and GIS to the KTR management, along with capacity building, for regular monitoring and evaluation of the habitat and vegetation. Existing time series data of remote sensing may be obtained from the National Remote Sensing Agency or any other suitable source for use in management and monitoring.
- replacing the existing unserviceable arms and augmenting their numbers need to be looked into on priority.
- procurement of equipment like binoculars, camera traps and cameras to record evidence and of sufficient numbers of mobile phones with the M-STrIPES software and capacity building of the staff regarding how to use the software in the offline mode.
- bringing all the frontline staff under the insurance umbrella.
The tiger reserve is to immediately initiate action on various prescriptions made in the Tiger Conservation Plan and they include:
- Corridors identified in the 2018 report “Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India” need to be worked upon by the tiger reserve management for prioritization of linkages.
- KTR has requested both the Namsai and Anjaw territorial forest divisions to incorporate tiger conservation in their respective working plans. This requires a push from the state government and sustained persuasion by the FD, KTR.
- To follow the step-by-step approach to land use around the fringe villages, as prescribed in the TCP, the management needs to initiate immediate action.

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