Arunachal Pradesh, a hotspot of orchids with more than 600 documented species, has added another one, much to the delight of nature lovers. Researchers have discovered a new orchid species, Hemipilia basifoliata (Orchidaceae), in the Myodia region of Lower Dibang Valley district.
The orchid species was documented in June last year at an altitude of 2,400 metres and published in an international science journal.
Krishna Chowlu from the Arunachal regional centre of the Botanical Survey of India led the research team, which included Jambey Tsering of the Orchid Research Centre under the State Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department, and co-authors Abbareddy Nageswara Rao, K Ahmed Kabeer, and Ajit Ray.
In truly exciting news for nature lovers, the first-ever photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas’s cat in Arunachal has been recorded.
The evidence was found during a survey carried out by WWF-India in 2024, led by conservation experts Rohan Pandit, Taku Sai, Nisam Luxom, and Pemba Tsering Romo. The team was guided by Rishi Kumar Sharma, head of the Himalayas programme at WWF-India.
Six wild cat species were recorded above 4,200 metres. These include the snow leopard, common leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and marbled cat.
Between July and September 2024, WWF-India deployed 136 camera traps across 83 locations, covering an area of 2,000 km² of high-altitude rangelands.
The survey was part of the project titled ‘Reviving Trans-Himalayan Rangelands – A Community-led Vision for People and Nature’, which is funded by the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative.
With such findings, there is an even more urgent need for the conservation of vulnerable ecosystems. The local communities, which play a crucial role in conservation, should take ownership of protecting these species that continue to face challenges, as habitat destruction has become more widespread.