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Introduction

Namdapha Tiger Reserve (NTR) has an area of 1985 km² and is a floral and faunal biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas. This tiger reserve (TR) forms the north-western part of the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin (Myanmar) rain forest eco-region. With its wide range of altitudinal variation (200–4571 m), it harbours an extremely rich floral and faunal diversity.

Four Panthera species are found in NTR, i.e., the leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard and tiger. It has other predators like the wild dog, Malayan sun bear, Asiatic black bear and Indian wolf. There are smaller carnivores like the Eurasian otter, Indian civet, masked palm civet, Asian golden cat, marbled cat, spotted linsang, binturong, fishing cat and mongoose. The large herbivores are represented by the wild boar, musk deer, hog deer, Himalayan and mainland serows, Indian muntjac, takin, sambar and bharal. Indian elephants were reported in the habitat, but only a migratory population has been reported presently in the fringe forest division.

The non-human primates include the slow loris, stump-tailed macaque, hoolock gibbon and Assamese macaque. The birds include the white-bellied heron, a critically endangered species, which was recorded in 1994. NTR is also known for its butterfly diversity, which includes the kohinoor, Naga tree brown, red caliph and East Himalayan purple emperor.

The vegetation in NTR ranges from evergreen moist deciduous to temperate broad leaved to coniferous forests to alpine vegetation. More than 150 timber species are found in NTR, which has a rich diversity of dipterocarps, the hollong being the state tree of Arunachal.

The MEE team evaluated Namdapha Tiger Reserve (NTR) along with Kamlang Tiger Reserve, of the same landscape. The strengths, weaknesses and actionable points of NTR follow.

Management Strengths:

NTR forms a part of a large landscape and is connected to Kamlang TR and other adjoining forests of Arunachal Pradesh in India and Hukawng Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar. It is an important protected area (PA) of this landscape, home to a high conservation priority population of the tiger (north-eastern hill tiger population), as this population probably shares its gene pool with the most critically endangered sub-species of tiger, i.e. Panthera tigris corbetti, which is found in Myanmar.
The mosaic of vegetation, due to the large altitudinal variation, is also home to some of endemic species like Pinus merkusi and Abies delavasi, which are not found elsewhere in India. There probably are many species that are waiting to be discovered.
The altitudinal variation further provides a diversity of wildlife habitats which support a large number of rare and endangered animal species, particularly small cats, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and birds, including waiting to be discovered.
The area also has a very important hydrological role as it forms the catchment of the Noa-Dihing River, a tributary of the mighty Brahmputra. Numerous streams drain into the Noa-Dihing, and forest pools and natural salt licks are abundant in the area.

Management Weaknesses:

Although NTR is surrounded by thick forests, the tiger reserve is facing alarming encroachment issues due to the increasing populations of the Lisus and other tribes. The Lisus are expanding their areas under cultivation and cardamom has a ready market as a cash crop. As of now, it is reported that there are eight Lisu villages with 311 families occupying the critical tiger habitat.
This sensitive landscape of 1985 km², with unique biodiversity, is managed by three ranges with a very meagre staff. The infrastructure for protection, like roads, patrolling paths, anti-poaching camps and motor cycles, is very poor. More than half of NTR is inaccessible to the management in the light of many problems, including approach issues, difficult terrain, insurgency and encroachment issues.
Out of the three ranges in NTR, only two ranges have field camps. The third range, which had only one camp, was burnt on 14 November, 2022. The habitation near the Myanmar border is known as Vijay Nagar, and it is connected by the Miao–Vijay Nagar road, which has been opened for traffic this year only, i.e., in 2022. There are no anti-poaching/protection camps on the Vijay Nagar side of NTR, and on this road, on the stretch from 31st Mile to 77th Mile, lie the eight enclaved villages, which make this area very sensitive from the point of view of protection. Significant forests of NTR lying beyond this stretch also require a continuous vigil.
There is a large number of vacancies among the frontline staff, and most of the present staff are aged too and will retire soon. Incidentally, none of the Range Officers stays inside the NTR area, and the responsibility of on-the-ground protection is largely delegated to the contingency staff, who are about 150 in number, out of which 50 are part of the tiger protection force. To man three ranges, there is only one regular Range Officer, and the other two ranges are manned by Dy. Rangers. There are only three Foresters and six Forest Guards available as of date to man an area of 1985 km² and hence the middle and upper reaches of NTR are literally unmanned. However, there are eight elephants to help criss-cross the lower areas of NTR.
Non-payment of wages to the contingency staff of the TR in the current financial year, due to non-receipt of funds from the state government/NTCA, is a major concern.
The MEE team has a serious concern regarding the presence of two major faunal species, i.e., tiger and elephant, in NTR. Both species have not been camera trapped or seen nor indirect evidence of their presence recorded within NTR. Three tigers were last camera trapped in 2015 and AITE 2018 concludes that 11 tigers are present in NTR on the basis of scat analysis. 24 scat samples have been sent to WII, Dehradun between January and March 2022 which were collected as part of AITE 2021, for which the report is yet to be received by the NTR management. The issue of population estimation of tigers has been discussed by the MEE team with WII. It was found that in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and parts of Assam (Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council), the standard Phase I sampling could not be carried out due to logistic constraints and an absence of demarcated administrative units at the beat level. Therefore, the numbers of the entire landscape were worked out through a proxy methodology of targeting priority tiger habitats in these areas on the basis of past surveys and the literature and carrying out tiger estimation, scat-based DNA profiling and limited camera trapping.
So far as elephants are concerned, their presence, of late, has not been reported from within NTR. It is apprehended that probably the elephant population has adversely been impacted by hunting by tribes which might have found a ready market in the neighbouring countries.

Immediate Actionable Points:

The core area notification of Namdapha Tiger Reserve does not include the 177 km² area of the Reserve Forest that was included in the TR later. This is a missing link and has also been mentioned in the Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP). A proposal/draft notification needs to be submitted urgently to the state government for inclusion of this area in the TR.
Efforts being made, since 1979, to evict encroachers and resettle Lisu families, have not been successful so far. The comprehensive relocation plan submitted by the TR to the state government needs to be pursued with the NTCA for early release of funds. Simultaneously, for effective implementation of the relocation programme, the trust between the communities and the TR management needs to be improved through intensive engagement with the communities, negotiations and selective eco-development activities. Long-term technical support of TCF will go a long way in the implementation of this programme.
Considering the fact that the tiger population estimates were worked out based on a proxy methodology, it is now imperative that estimation of the tiger population, using standard protocols, is carried out at the earliest with the active involvement of the NTR management, state government and NTCA. This will require comprehensive Phase-I data collection covering all areas of the TR, followed by other standard protocols being used by WII. The exercise should be attempted during this season only, before the onset of rains in 2023, as a priority activity. A similar exercise needs to be carried out for elephants also.
The Miao Vijay Nagar road may get damaged due to heavy rains in the area and landslides. Adequate permitted steps may be taken for strengthening this road so as to facilitate smooth movements of the staff in the TR. Wherever required, permission(s) of the concerned governments may be taken for these works.
Considering the difficult terrain, and the inaccessibility of many areas in NTR, it is also suggested that helicopter services be provided for the NTR management.
Long endurance drones, suitable to the terrain, may immediately be made available to both Namdapha and Kamlang tiger reserves, which are part of the Namdapha–Kamlang Landscape.
To address the connectivity issues in the area, there is a need to establish networks of wireless/radio transmitters and mobile towers by NTR and mobile service providers, respectively. This will not only connect the population in Vijaynagar, Gandhigram with Miao but would also provide connectivity to the NTR staff and enable them to use M-STrIPES in further strengthening the protection/conservation efforts.
Urgent action is required on the part of the state government to first fill up all the existing vacancies and then sufficiently augment the sanctioned strength of the staff, which is commensurate to the requirements of NTR.
The TR must ensure timely payments to the contingency staff. This will require timely release of funds by the state government and the NTCA.
Large parts of TR presently do not have regular presence of staff as most of the camps are located in accessible areas. Therefore, a comprehensive plan should be prepared and implemented for creating a sufficient number of field camps with supportive facilities to cover all possible strategic locations of the TR for effective protection, in a phased manner.
To address the protection issues, the state government may study the orders issued by the Government of Assam for Kaziranga TR related to providing arms, including issuing special orders for their use by the forest staff, and creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), and arrive at its applicability in NTR, which appears to be in great danger because of encroachment and poaching issues and its proximity to the international border, coupled with the difficult terrain and inaccessibility.
Training the staff of NTR in various aspects of wildlife management, population monitoring, the use of modern equipment for protection, including the use of M-STrIPES need to be carried out as a continuous activity for building and upgrading the required competence among staff for better management of TR.
The field staff of NTR have to work under extremely difficult conditions. Maintaining their motivation and continuous encouragement are critical to achieve a high level of protection in this tiger reserve. Currently, there is no system of rewards and incentives for the field staff. The park management needs to evolve a system of incentives and rewards to encourage the staff and keep them motivated. Resources from Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) can be used for this important initiative.
The APO form of NTCA needs provisions for research to be included. Research in tiger reserves, including NTR, needs to be encouraged to achieve a high level of scientific management. Some of this can be done internally in NTR, while a lot can be done jointly by networking with other agencies.
The Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) of NTR is one of the oldest in Arunachal Pradesh. TCF has a critical role for inclusive management of tiger reserves. Keeping in mind the broad objectives of TCFs, an internal workshop should be organized for evolving a comprehensive strategy for effective management of Namdapha TCF, including generation of financial resources, activities for community participation, ecological and social monitoring and other supportive functions of TR management. Engagement of the technical staff in running TCF activities and timely periodic meetings of the Governing Body and Executive Body should be ensured.

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Namdapha Tiger Reserve

Introduction

Management Strengths:

Management Weaknesses:

Immediate Actionable Points:

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