Community forests in Dirang declared as CCA

DIRANG, Apr 23: The Mandala Phudung panchayat here in West Kameng district has declared around 114 sq km of key wildlife habitat, traditional grazing grounds and community forests (with different species of non-timber forest products and medicinal plants) as a Community Conserved Area (CCA), according to a WWF-India release.
The declaration was made on Sunday with the consensus of the larger community of four villages and their panchayat members. The aim is to strengthen the community forest management and augment local livelihoods in the villages under its jurisdiction.
“The panchayat also selected key leaders of the villages to form a management committee to look after various management components of the CCA, including conducting periodic surveys and patrolling to ensure knowledge-building and protection of the species,” said Kamal Medhi, western Arunachal landscape coordinator of the WWF-India.
The management committee will also undertake a detailed livelihood assessment to draft a strategy to implement livelihood activities to support conservation efforts in the near future.
The CCA model was first introduced by the WWF-India in 2004, and has spread to different villages to ensure community-based natural resource management regime in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh.
WWF-India has been extending support to the community of Phudung, Dungmanba, Menchang and Khellong villages to clarify the concept of CCA and facilitate a participatory process to come up with an area for future conservation.
The forests of Mandala Phudung are a treasure house of plants with medicinal properties, rhododendrons and different fauna with the highest conservation interest.
The CCA covers biodiversity-rich forests stretching up to the India-Bhutan boundary and connects the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan. It forms a key habitat for species like the red panda, the Asiatic black-bear, the Asiatic wild dog, alpine musk deer,and many more. Mandala Top and its surrounding areas, such as Naga GG and Phudung, are also designated as emerging birding destinations of the state.
These forests also act as water catchment of many stream sources, including the main river known as Tongchudar, which is also the lifeline of Mandala Phudung and other villages situated downstream.