[ Toko Tatung ]
An eye opener indeed! The Namdapha National Park, which just hosted the 5th Butterfly Meet organised by the SEED, and my maiden trip to this treasure trove convinced me yet again of the potential of our state in the field of tourism. Eastern Arunachal seems ‘found’, especially post Bogibeel bridge completion and the road connectivity, aided by the timely completion of various road projects, unlike in the western part of our state, making it a delight to explore. The inhabitants of the region and their leaders are worthy of appreciation for their cooperation and the vision in the completion of the roads.
The world is losing its forest cover and its pristine wildlife habitats at an alarming rate. To be precise, according to the 2022 edition of SOFO (State of Worlds Forest), in just 30 years, ie, from 1990-2020, more than 420 million hectares of forest were lost worldwide, which adds up to 10.34 percent of the total forest cover worldwide. Nearer home, the ISFR report of 2021 shows a decline of 0.6 percent forest cover in the Northeast, in which our state tops with a loss of 25,700 hectares.
Given the context, conservation and preservation of the forest coverage, along with its flora and fauna, assume special significance. More so in a state like ours, whose people, their cultures and their lives are intrinsically connected to nature. Arunachal Pradesh warmly snuggles in within the two biodiversity hotspots of Himalaya and Indo-Myanmar and perched in the three bio-geographical realms of the paleoarctic, Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan, thus making it exceptionally rich in high species diversity and species rich bio-geographical province too. And the Namdapha National Park stands as its crown jewel and is listed amongst the 12th biodiversity mega spot.
The Namdapha National Park is also a declared tiger reserve, having an area of almost 2,000 sq kms. It is a slice of paradise for research scholars and nature enthusiasts.
It’s elevation ranges from 200 MSL to 4,571 MSL, thus resulting in great diversity both in its floral and faunal components. It has multiple USPs. Arguably, it is the only place where you can see all the four big cats – tiger, clouded leopard, snow leopard and the common leopard. It is home to the Hoolock gibbon, the only ape found in the country and endangered white-winged wood ducks and the great pied hornbill, including many others. Interestingly, it is also the nesting place for the most elusive and critically endangered white-bellied heron, numbering around only 50-250 individuals worldwide. It has around 1,899 fauna and 1,188 floral species, and is also home to around 521 species of butterflies. I was amazed to know that a innocuous looking tiny stream christened ‘Longkhai Nala’, contributing to the Nao-Dihing river, is a world renowned butterfly spot, and that butterfly enthusiasts descend from the world over to see it. The list is unending.
It is an irony that, in spite of being blessed with such blissful locale, tourism as an industry is still in a nascent stage in our state. We drew only around 3.5 lakhs tourists in 2016. The butterfly meet is an important and much-needed step in that direction. It was initiated in 2006 in Jairampur by the Namchik Valley Society for Ecotourism & Wildlife Conservation (NSEWC), encouraged by late Setong Sena, and again in 2010 in Miao, Namdapha, by the NSEWC and the SEACOW. However, it couldn’t be sustained for various reasons. The Namdapha National Park and its its Butterfly Meet must be celebrated and nurtured. It must become a calendar event, a state festival which must be globalised. It’s rich biodiversity, flora and fauna, its people, their culture must take centre stage. Along the line of ‘Dekho Apna Pradesh’, our people must be encouraged to appreciate the beauty of our own land. It will not only uplift us economically but also foster a sense of brotherhood and unity in the culturally diverse state of ours. Each must become the ambassador of our state and tell the story to our fellow countrymen and to the global audience.
The Bogibeel bridge is a timely boon to eastern Arunachal, making it conveniently accessible and visible at the same time to fellow Arunachali and outsiders. Its utility must be harnessed to its hilt. Eastern Arunachal could actually become the nucleus of tourism in the state. With projects like the Namdapha National Park, Parshuram Kund, Golden Pagoda, the trekking paradise of Dibang valley, the mesmerising Mechuka, the World War II war cemetery, Pangsau Pass, the Stilwell Road, and the soon to be opened Miao-Vijaynagar road and the entire stretches with well-connected road, we are in a critical juncture in the development of tourism in our state. Reviving the Namdapha National Park with all its glory could be the missing catalyst.
However, all is not rosy. The Namdapha National Park has its own sets of challenges. The most crucial and immediate obstacle is the issue of encroachment, which unfortunately can be seen in the core areas of the park too. As it directly affects the wildlife habitat and consequently its sighting, it must be taken up on priority. The forest department, led by its field director, right down to its peons, numbering around 40, is doing a tremendous job against all odds.
The forest department has evicted 11 families so far for illegally encroaching on the park in the past few years, and consultation and discussion is on with eight villages, having around 300 families, for relocation, led by the National Tiger Authority. As per the latest report shared by the department, an offer of Rs 15 lakhs has been made per family, which has been staying for long and recorded for relocation and is under consideration by the National Tiger Authority. The progress is tedious but on the move, and so far one village has agreed, as informed by the forest department, and has given a written submission. Most of the encroachers, according to the forest department, belong to the Lisu tribe. The state government may perhaps add on to the compensatory amount for smooth and meaningful relocation of the families settled in the core areas to avoid man-wildlife conflict, to better preserve and protect the national park and to prevent further encroachment.
Another major challenge is protecting the park from poachers and illegal felling of trees. Owing to its size, which is around 2,000 sq kms, it is an enormous task. Presently, the forest department has only nine rifles, three revolvers, and 40 regular employees, which speaks volumes about the task at hand. Inspite of it, along with the volunteers of the National Tiger Authority (it being a tiger reserve) which is around 140 in all, they have been doing their job resiliently. The government may take cognisance of the exigency and drive for recruitment, preferably from the local inhabitants, as they are familiar to the terrain, thus creating job opportunities. With adequate manpower and well-equipped personnel, the park could be effectively patrolled and protected from possible preventable illegal activities.
Another impediment which I prefer to see as an opportunity, is the facilities for tourist accommodation. The present forest IB in Devan could be upgraded and its capacity enhanced, and if possible, let out to prospective local entrepreneurs. It will not only lead to its better upkeep but help in revenue generation and employment creation too. Likewise, local entrepreneurs and possible investors could be encouraged to create infrastructure for tourists accommodation, homestay facilities and other related activities in the Miao township area, which is just a drive away. If planned properly, the entire Miao township and more could be sustained by the Namdapha park itself.
However, it is also a fact that in 12 years, ie, from 2009 to 2021, the Namdapha National Park had only 12,244 domestic and 854 foreign tourists. It indicates certain inherent fundamental flaws in our tourism policy and our approach towards our natural assets, and at the same time its infinite potential. The remoteness of our region can’t be an excuse; its only a perception. To quote Mukhopadhyay, the then India’s ambassador to Myanmar, “If we draw a circumference with a radius of 1,000 kms, Northeast is in the centre of 10 countries.” And our state, as a direct land bridge to Southeast Asia through Myanmar and China, which was linked once through the Stilwell Road, and comprising 33 percent of border roads in the NE region, which is around 1,700 kms, makes it most geo-strategically positioned and suitably placed. If the Stilwell Road is reopened and declared as a heritage road, as it is believed to have used the same alignment as Sukhapa did in 1228 AD, and later by Khamptis and Singpho as well, it could become the game changer and transform not only our state but the whole of NE region. And only then the gibberish of the Act East policy can be felt in actuality in this landlocked region.
As we were negotiating the slope towards the river on elephants’ backs, led by DCM Chowna mein, the white-bellied heron, the most critically endangered visitor of the park, also known as ‘Amitabh chiriya’ in this part of the world, flew past us. It was sighted after four years and somebody quipped, “Its an auspicious omen.” As the breeze of the Nao-Dihing gently caressed my mane, I whispered a silent prayer: May this be for Namdapha and its habitants, for its people and for our beautiful state. Ad dei gloriam. (Toko Tatung is the secretary-general of the Arunachal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and can be reached at ttatung@gmail.com)
