Assam’s Manas Tiger Reserve 63% short of staff, activist tells Environment Minister

Assam’s Manas Tiger Reserve 63% short of staff, activist tells Environment Minister

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Areas in news

Context:

• While the western Assam’s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve is moving from a low- to high-tiger-density area, it is almost 63% short of staff.

Details:

• Manas had an effective staff strength of 109 against the 294 posts sanctioned for the two grades of foresters and forest guards.

Implications:

• The translocation of rhinos to Manas, as approved during the 12th SBWL (State Board of Wildlife) meeting (in September 2022) has been kept in abeyance.
• The poor security scenario in the Panbari and Kuklung ranges of the tiger reserve.
• Increased cases of elephant poaching.
• Increased encroachment of lands that belong to the reserve area.

About Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve:

• Manas National Park is a national park, Project Tiger reserve, and an elephant reserve in Assam, India.
• Located in the Himalayan foothills, it borders the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog.
• Manas is also famous for its population of wild water buffalo. Because of its exceptional biodiversity, scenery, and variety of habitats, Manas National Park is a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The name of the park originated from the Manas River.
• The Manas river is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park.
• On 21 June 2011, it was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger and was commended for its efforts in preservation.
• There are two major biomes present in Manas:
  • The grassland biomes: pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros (re-introduced in 2007 after extinction due to heavy poaching during the Bodo uprising), bengal florican, wild Asian buffalo, etc.
  • The forest biomes: slow loris, capped langur, wild pig, sambar, great hornbill, Malayan giant squirrel or black giant squirrel, Chinese pangolin etc.
• Vegetation:
  • The monsoon forests of Manas lie in the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests ecoregion. The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai region with riverine succession leading up to the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world.
• The main vegetation types are:
  • Sub-Himalayan light alluvial semi-evergreen forests in the northern parts.
  • East Himalayan mixed moist and dry deciduous forests (the most common type).
  • Low alluvial savanna woodland, and
  • Assam Valley semi-evergreen alluvial grasslands which cover almost 50% of the park.