Reassign the message of Conservation to the Tri-junction of Indo-China and Bhutan Border

My professional engagements with different organizations roll me to the different places of conservation interest throughout the northeastern parts of the country. My aim was to convey the message of conservation through various tools along the human minds of different of geographical ridges. The attitudes of different people were interesting and broadly vary among different ethnic tribes. Convincing the people of educated and executive classes was sturdy then to make understand the need of conservation to a pitiable tribal guy. The simple minds of a ethnic community get your things easily if you were able to make a bridge of the issue with their basic needs. Further more, before the European worldwide exploration, the indigenous and local people of probably all countries had social systems that dealt with the management of natural resources.  In India, there are many examples that point to sustainable community management of their forest even today. One of such management system is still harboring in the state of Arunachal Pradesh as management of huge forest land under different clans of a particular community.

I can share my experience of conveying the message of conservation to most memorable places of Arunachal Pradesh with the conservation programme of World Wide Fund for Nature-India. Leaving the plains of Assam, when I had shifted my eyes to the indigenous  community of high altitude areas of the Western most parts of Arunachal Pradesh, I discovered a new world of people. They were really simple and well mannered with lots of hopes on the outside people like us. Monpas are the major ethnic community dominating in the area. They are the higher altitude inhabitants of the western Arunachal are found upto an altitude of 15,000m. The Tawang district shares border with Bhutan and Tibet, the growing place of Buddhist culture and traditions. Monpas account for 5% of the total population of the state.. This tribe exhibits many similarities in anthropometrics, blood grouping and in other characters with other Arunachalee as well as with many other tribes of mongoloid characters of neighboring N.E. states. Monpas have their own unique system and practices. Culturally they are akin to the people of eastern most Bhutan.

During my scheduled project activities, I traveled  the remote areas of the region and interacted to them regarding various aspects of their conservation  practices. However, the recently discovered tracks to a remote village called Lumpo situated in the tri-junction of Indo-China and Bhutan border stunned my mind with the quantum of their traditional knowledge, partisanship and conservation attitude. The village is under the restricted range being a crucial border area. WWF-India is working in those areas under the Zimithang circle of Tawang district for community motivation towards conservation through community conserved areas in their traditionally owned clan land. These areas have a high potentiality of wildlife population. Besides other species, I must coat the names of Snow Leopard Unicia unicia, Red Panda Ailurus fulgens and Black Necked Cranes as the most versatile among the existing species. Interacting with the local minds, we came to know that the forest areas had a stable population of both the endangered mammals Snow Leopard and Red Panda. However, Nyamjang Chu (River) which has originates from China flows through Pangchen Valley of Zimithang area in southerly direction and enter Bhutan as Manas River after joining Tawang Chu (River). The valley suitable for Black Necked Cranes has been found to be from Brokenthang to Zemithang, which is nearly 3km in length with average altitude of 6920ft. The average width of the valley has been found to 0.30km and the flow of water in this part of the river is gentle with many small seasonal islands and also grassland on both the bank. According to the local villagers earlier the Cranes use to use one Alnus forest patch, very near to Zemithang settlement area for roasting.

As there is religious ban on hunting among the local Monpa communities of the area, the major threat is on the wildlife and their associated habitats mainly due to road constriction activities which is progress in both side of the river. However, as the roads under construction is very much crucial from Indian defence point of view. During our visit to the Lumpo, we had a positive discussion about these issues with the local Gaon Burah (Village Headman) Mr. Nawang Chota, who also agreed to the urgent need to find out some way which will ensure both safety of the wildlife without hampering any developmental activities. However, with the establishment of the National Forest Policy of 1988 and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt of India (GoI) issuing  policy instructions in accordance with it to the states’ forest departments, the GoI took a major step in supporting the participation of community members in the regeneration and management of degraded forest lands. This perhaps initiated the creation of a new protocol of conserving such virgin areas in the current dilemma.

About the Author: Rakesh Soud engaged with Nature’s Foster. He is focused on the conservation of wildlife and their habitat in the remote areas of Northeastern region, India.