(IN): Laokhowa languishing for want of attention

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http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jun2209/at06

 

Laokhowa languishing for want of attention

Sivasish Thakur

GUWAHATI, June 21 – Notwithstanding their significance in terms of

biodiversity, several protected areas of the State continue to languish for

want of recognition and adequate protection measures. The contiguous

wildlife sanctuaries of Laokhowa and Burhachapori (situated in Nagaon and

Sonitpur districts respectively), which have withstood widespread man-made

devastations during the last two decades resulting in considerable damage to

their flora and fauna, still retain some of the rich and varied wildlife,

especially bird life. But unfortunately, the protected areas are still not

getting the attention they deserve.

 

“In spite of heavy disturbances, the twin protected area shelters an

exceptionally diverse and rare avifauna, including as many as 18 endangered

species that have been recorded in recent times. Yet, they continue to be

among the least studied and most marginalized important bird areas of the

State,” conservation activist Kulajyoti Lahkar said.

 

A few years back, the Baikal teal was recorded at Laokhowa, marking the

first occurrence of the bird in Assam and the North-east after 50 years.

 

Lahkar, who had done extensive studies on the avifauna of Laokhowa and

Burhachapori, said that the existence of several wetlands was one of the

factors behind the thriving bird population. “The sanctuary has a number of

grassland avifauna including the critically-endangered Bengal florican,” he

said.

 

Over 200 species of birds have so far been recorded in the two sanctuaries,

which is quite high considering Laokhowa’s small area of 7,011 hectare,

while Burhachapori is even smaller with a total area of 4,406 hectare.

Moreover, much of the habitat now lies degraded due to encroachment and

tree-felling.

 

Birdlife apart, Laokhowa, together with Burhachapori and Kochmara reserve

forest, form a contiguous belt of grassland. With adequate protection the

contiguity could have been maintained even up to Orang National Park and

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary – both prime grassland habitats. In addition,

the Laokhowa belt also serves as a buffer zone for the Kaziranga Tiger

Reserve.

 

Laokhowa once boasted of a thriving rhino population due to its ideal

grassland habitat but the entire population was decimated during a prolonged

period of social unrest in the area in the 1980s.

 

Of late there has been some talk about reintroducing the rhino in Laokhowa

as part of the ambitious Rhino Vision project of the State Forest Department

and WWF-India. “It will take some time to translocate rhinos to Laokhowa, as

we need foolproof security for that,” a forest official said.

 

The importance of these two sanctuaries, especially Laokhowa, lies in the

fact that their habitat is almost same as that of Kaziranga. They offer

tremendous potential for becoming excellent territory for not just birds,

but all types of fauna of Brahmaputra floodplain grassland.

 

Birds apart, quite a few endangered animals find a refuge at

Laokhowa-Burhachapori. Some such fauna include tiger, buffalo, sambar, wild

boar, hog deer, rhesus macaque, Asiatic jackal, jungle cat and several

species of civet.

 

Shrinking habitat caused by tree-felling and cultivation, over-fishing,

livestock grazing, illegal khutis, collection of wood for fuel and

house-building material, erosion and siltation, management problems, a

demoralized forest staff, etc., have been some pressing concerns for the

sanctuaries.

 

Some of the endangered birds included in the IUCN’ Red Data Book and found

at Laokhowa and Burhachapori are the white-rumped vulture, greater adjutant

stork, Bengal florican, spot-billed pelican, lesser adjutant stork, Baer’s

pochard, Pallas’ fishing eagle, Indian spotted eagle, greater spotted eagle,

Steppe eagle, imperial eagle, swamp francolin, Finn’s weaver, and several

species of owls.

 

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