Report Author
Yogesh Wadadekar
December 1994
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the help and cooperation received from Project Tiger authorities at Namdapha Tiger Reserve particularly the Field Director, Mr. Yogesh Kumar, the research staff Dr. S.S. Chandiramani and Mr. Bhatt who made our stay at Namdapha a most pleasurable and memorable experience.
We also take this opportunity to thank Dr. N.K. Khosla (Chairman Cultural) and Dr. G.K. Sharma (Dean Student Affairs) for support and assistance for our trip.
We also record our thanks to Prof. A.S. Mahajan, whose presence on the trip was a continuous transfusion of ideas, knowledge, enthusiasm and perspective for all of us.
1. Basic Information on Namdapha Tiger Reserve
1.1 Geography of Namdapha Tiger Reserve
1,985 km²
Total Area
1,808 km²
Core Area
177.4 km²
Buffer Area
Namdapha Tiger Reserve lies in the Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern most state of the Indian Union. The park is bounded to the North by the Dapha Bum Ridge, a long range of mountains stretching East-West and having Dapha Bum peak (4598 m) as its highest point. Daphabum is also the highest point in the Reserve. To the south lie the Patkai Ranges on the Indo-Myanmar border.
The entire area of the reserve is mountainous and forms the catchment area of the Noa-dehing (also known as the Diyun) a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The Diyun flows from East to West in the reserve. In addition there are some natural lakes, (locally called beels) in the high hills of Namdapha. Besides these there are a few small pools, such as Moti Jheel, Rani Jheel, and Raja Jheel. These pools and lakes attract migratory waterfowl.
Climate
The North-eastern hills along Nagaland enclose the South-eastern sides of the upper Brahmaputra Valley while the Greater Himalaya and its foothills are positioned such that the monsoon clouds get trapped in Upper Assam causing extremely heavy rainfall. Rain occurs most heavily for almost 8 months of the year with a short winter (October-January) being comparatively dry.
1.2 How to Get There
The headquarters of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve are located in the town of Miao. Miao is conveniently accessible from the Assamese town of Tinsukia (110 km.) which is well connected to other Assamese cities (such as Gauhati, Dibrugarh) by road and rail.
Nearest Airport: Mohanbari (Dibrugarh)
Recommended Route: Gauhati → Tinsukia/Dibrugarh → Miao
1.3 Entry Formalities
Permit Required
Entry into Arunachal Pradesh requires a permit which is issued by the Secretary (Political) Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar. An Application giving all details of the proposed visit and information about the applicant should be made (by post) at least two months in advance.
Entry into Arunachal Pradesh occurs at the Namchik Checkpoint, a few kilometers beyond the town of Jagun in Assam.
1.4 Where to Stay
Accommodation for tourists is available at Miao and at the village of Deban which is 27 km from Miao, and lies inside the reserve. The forest rest house at Deban is located on the banks of the Diyun in incredibly beautiful terrain.
Research accommodation in Buffer Zone: Haldibari, Hornbill Camp, Firmbase Camp, Bulbulia, and the 40th mile Camp.
1.5 Flora of the Reserve
The vegetation may be broadly classified into tropical, temperate and alpine vegetation. The lowland tropical forests of Namdapha are perhaps the last remaining Dipterocarpus forests in India.
This type of forest is found in the Diyun Valley and in the hills up to a certain elevation. These forests are typically three-storeyed with Hollong and Mekai forming a definite dominant layer. The top storey also contains Hollock (Terminalia myriocarpa) and Jhutuli (Altinsia excelsa).
The understorey is extremely dense with many species of woody shrubs, climbers, ground orchids (Dendrobium spp.) and ferns. Ferns are profuse and giant-sized too, the most handsome being the tree ferns, Cyathea spp. and Angiopteris evecta.
On alluvial flats, along rivers and stream banks and on the hill slopes, moist deciduous forests with most of the species in the top storey shedding their leaves, are found. The top storey is composed of Hollock and Khokan (Duabanga grandiflora) among other species.
Bamboos (Bambusa spp. and Dendrocalamus sp.) dominate the understorey. Climbers are also plentiful.
There are scattered patches of Khokan, Borpat, Hilika etc. of various sizes. Undergrowth is very dense and contains canes besides other species.
Wherever the natural vegetation has been disturbed Mikenia cordata has invaded the area and prevented any other vegetation from coming up.
1.6 Fauna of the Reserve
Exceptional Biodiversity
The subtropical humid climate and the virgin untouched forests of the area sustain the richest and most varied mammalian fauna, compared to any other area in India. Of the 135 genera of land mammals recorded in India, 85 are represented here.
Four Big Cats
Namdapha is the only reserve in the world to house four species of big cats:
- Tiger
- Leopard
- Snow Leopard
- Clouded Leopard
Hoolock Gibbon
One of the last secure homes of India's only ape - the hoolock gibbon (Hylobates hoolock).
Mornings in Namdapha are punctuated with the intermittent callings of troops of gibbons, vying with each other in trying to shatter the silence of the morn.
Observations During the Trip
Primates
Capped Langur (Presbytis pileatus): On our first morning in Namdapha we were lucky enough to spot a troop of ten members. Their undersides were distinctly golden in color and they reminded us of the Golden Langur, a close relative of the Capped Langur.
Highlight: Flying Squirrels
Our most exciting and rewarding interaction with the squirrels occurred quite unexpectedly at night at the Bulbulia watch tower. At about 2015, Vineet saw a flying squirrel gliding and alighting on a tree barely 20 feet away.
The squirrel was lightly colored on the underside and dark-brown in color on the dorsal side. Later at or about 2200 Vineet observed an entire family of flying squirrels on a neighboring tree.
Big Cats
Our encounter with the big cats was restricted to spotting pug marks, first at Deban and then at Haldibari Camp. At both locations we found tiger pugmarks.
1.7 Suggestions for Improving Visitor Facilities
The aim should be to strike a happy balance between exposing the maximum number of people to wildlife and reducing disturbance to the wildlife itself from tourists.
- Day visitors to Deban may be curtailed or eliminated completely to reduce wildlife disturbance
- Genuine enthusiasts should be encouraged to travel beyond Deban up to Firm Base Camp
- The MV Road should be maintained in motorable condition up to the 20 mile Camp
- Interpretation Center should highlight Namdapha's diversity, rainforest conservation, and Project Tiger aims
- Replace elephant rides with trained guide walks to provide education value
Appendix A: Participants
- Ambrish Kumar 92005002 H8/201
- Yogesh Wadadekar 90011005 H4/124
- Sandeep Tambe 90010017 H4/119
- Hrishikesh Samant 92406001 H8/133
- Vineet Aggarwal 90707001 H4/120
- Deepak Das 93306009 H9/307
- Nandan S.R 92026005 H2/143
- Prof. A.S. Mahajan, Dept. of Physics
Appendix B: Floral and Faunal List
Note: Only species observed by us have been listed. The complete Checklist is much bigger and may be found elsewhere.
Birds (43 species)
- Himalayan Tree Pie
- Grey Drongo
- Pied Wagtail
- Pintailed Green Pigeon
- Great Hill Barbet
- Brainfever Bird
- Black Kite
- Scarlet Minivet
- Chestnutbellied Nuthatch
- Slatybellied Himalayan Forktail
- Greater Racket Tailed Drongo
- Yellowbellied Fantail Flycatcher
- Streaked Spiderhunter
- Bronzed Drongo
- Red Headed Trogon
- White Crested Laughing Thrush
- Lesser Goldenbacked Woodpecker
- Greybacked Shrike
- Spotted Dove
- Rufousnecked Hornbill
- Blue Whistling Thrush
- Crimsonbreasted Barbet
- Browneared Bulbul
- White Wagtail
- Sultan Tit
- Bluethroated Barbet
- Little Forktail
- Orange Fronted Chloropsis
- Rufousbellied Niltava
- Eastern Merganser
- Brown Dipper
- Longtailed Sibia
- Whitelegged Falconet
- Whitecapped Redstart
- Plumbous Redstart
- Whitebreasted Kingfisher
- Large Yellownaped Woodpecker
- Rufous Turtle Dove
- Spurwinged Lapwing
- Jungle Crow
- Hill Myna
- Haircrested Drongo
- Large Goldenbacked Woodpecker
Mammals (8 species)
- Hoolock gibbon
- Capped Langur
- Chestnutbellied Himalayan Squirrel
- Hoarybellied Himalayan Squirrel
- Malayan Giant Squirrel
- Barking Deer (heard)
- Flying Squirrel (Species unidentified)
- Sambar (heard)
Butterflies (26 species)
- Greater Orange tip
- Yellow Orange Tip
- Plain Tiger
- Common Gem
- Yellow Jack Sailor
- Yellow Jezebel
- Common Tinsel
- Painted Jezebel
- Tree Yellow
- Orange Staff Sergeant
- Small Grass Yellow
- Yellow Rajah
- Common Jezebel
- Redbase Jezebel
- Common Emigrant
- Large Yeoman
- Angled Castor
- Yerbur's Sailor
- Commander
- Common Map
- Common Maplet
- Tabby
- Glassy Tiger
- Silver Royal
- Common Earl
- Punchinello
Plants (7 species)
- Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus)
- Hollock (Terminalia myriocarpa)
- Mekai (Shorea assamica)
- Jhutuli (Altinsia excelsa)
- Wild Banana
- Tree Ferns
- Khokan (Duabanga grandiflora)
Note: The list presented above is merely a fraction of Namdapha's rich natural heritage that we were able to sample with the limited amount of time and knowledge available to us. We saw more bird species than we identified due to wary birds, low light conditions, low magnification on our binoculars and thick vegetation.
Useful Addresses
Field Director
Project Tiger, Namdapha Tiger Reserve
Miao, Changlang District
Arunachal Pradesh
Bombay Natural History Society
Hornbill House, Dr. Salim Ali Chowk
Bombay 400023
Tel: (022) 243421, 243869, 244085
Secretary (Political)
Government of Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar, 791111
Arunachal Pradesh
The Resident Commissioner
Arunachal Bhavan, Kautilya Marg
New Delhi 110021
Tel: 3013915, 3012153
References
- Nair Satishchandran S, Namdapha Biosphere Reserve, Man and the Biosphere Programme, Dept. of Environment, Govt. of India, October 1991.
- Attenborough David, The Living Planet, Reader's Digest, 1989.
- Brochure, Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Forest Dept., Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Chatterjee A.K. and S.S Chandiramani, An Introduction to Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh India, Tiger Paper, Vol XIII: No 3, 1986.
- Dillon Ripley S and Ali S., Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, BNHS, 1983.