Pakke Tiger Reserve, is a Project Tiger reserve in the East Kameng district of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

. The reserve is protected by the Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh. It was known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve, but renamed in April 2001 by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. It has won India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of 'Conservation of threatened species' for its

Hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

Nest Adoption Programme.

Location

Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the undulating and hilly foothills of the

Eastern Himalayas ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. I ...

in Arunachal Pradesh's Pakke Kessang District at elevations ranging from . It is bounded by Bhareli or

Kameng River The Kameng River (previously named Bharali River, now called Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh and Jiabharali (Jia Bharali) in Assam) in the eastern Himalayan mountains, originates in Tawang district from the glacial lake below snow-capped Gori Che ...

in the west and north, and by Pakke River in the east. It is surrounded by contiguous forests on most sides. To the east lies Papum Reserve Forest with an area of . Towards the south and south-east, the sanctuary adjoins reserve forests and Assam's Nameri National Park. To the west, it is bounded by Doimara Reserve Forest with an area of and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary; and to the north by Shergaon Forest Division. Selective logging on a commercial scale occurred in the reserve forests until 1996. The main perennial streams in the area are the Nameri, Khari and Upper Dikorai. West of Kameng River are Sessa Orchid Sanctuary and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

History

The area of Pakke Tiger Reserve was initially constituted as Pakhui Reserve Forest on 1 July 1966 and declared a

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; however, the focus of a game reserve ...

on 28 March 1977. In 2001, it was renamed Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary and became Pakhui Tiger Reserve on 23 April 2002 as the 26th Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Geography

The reserves elevations range from above msl. The terrain is rugged with mountainous ranges in the north and narrow plains and sloping hill valleys in the south. The sanctuary slopes southwards towards the river valley of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

. The area of Brahmaputra and Chittagong Hills, which includes Pakke and Namdapha Tiger Reserve, is the north-western limit of the

Indochinese tiger The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar and Thailand. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, including 85 in ...

's range, bordering the eastern limit of the

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

's range.Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011)
''Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010.''
National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302

Climate

Pakke Tiger Reserve has a subtropical climate with cold weather from November to March. The temperature varies from . Annual rainfall is . It receives rainfall predominantly from the south-west monsoon in May to September and north-east monsoon from November to April. October and November are relatively dry. Winds are generally of moderate velocity. Thunderstorms occasionally occur in March–April. The average annual rainfall is 2500 mm. May and June are the hottest months. Humidity levels reach 80% during the summer.

Flora

The habitat types are lowland semi-evergreen, evergreen forest and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. A total of 343 woody species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s (angiosperms) have been recorded from the lowland areas of the park, with a high representation of species from the families

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

and

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant Family (biology), family that includes the bay laurel, true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genus (biology), genera worldwide. They are dicotyled ...

, but at least 1500 species of

vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified tissue ( ...

are expected from Pakhui WLS, of which 500 species would be woody. While about 600 species of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

are reported from Arunachal Pradesh, Pakhui WLS and adjoining areas also harbour many orchid species. The forest has a typical layered structure and the major emergent species are bhelu ''

Tetrameles nudiflora ''Tetrameles'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Tetramelaceae with one species, ''Tetrameles nudiflora''. It grows as a large deciduous tree and is found across southern Asia from India through southeast Asia, Malesia, and into northe ...

'', borpat '' Ailanthus grandis'' and jutuli '' Altingia excelsa''. The general vegetation type of the entire tract is classified as Assam Valley tropical semi-evergreen forest. The forests are multi-storeyed and rich in

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

flora and woody

lianas A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

. The vegetation is dense, with a high diversity and density of woody lianas and climbers. The forest types include tropical semi-evergreen forests along the lower plains and foothills dominated by kari '' Polyalthia simiarum'', hatipehala ''

Pterospermum acerifolium ''Pterospermum acerifolium'', the bayur tree or karnikara tree, is a flowering plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma. It is most likely to grow naturally along forested stream banks. The best growing conditions are a seasonall ...

'', karibadam '' Sterculia alata'', paroli '' Stereospermum chelonoides'', ''Ailanthus grandis'' and khokun '' Duabanga grandiflora''. The tropical semi-evergreen forests are scattered along the lower plains and foothills, dominated by ''Altingia excelsa'', nahar ''

Mesua ferrea ''Mesua ferrea'', the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron, is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an o ...

'', banderdima '' Dysoxylum binectariferum'', ''Beilschmedia'' sp. and other middle storey trees belonging to the

and

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

. These forests have a large number of species of economic value. Subtropical broadleaved forests of the

Fagaceae The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...

and Lauraceae dominate the hill tops and higher reaches. Moist areas near streams have a profuse growth of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

, cane and palms. About eight species of bamboo occur in the area, in moist areas in gullies, in areas previously under settlements, or subjected to some form of disturbance on the hill slopes. At least five commercially important cane species grow in moist areas, along with tokko '' Livistona jenkinsiana'', a species used extensively by locals for thatching roofs. Along the larger perennial streams, there are shingle beds with patches of tall grassland, which give way to lowland moist forests with outenga ''

Dillenia indica ''Dillenia indica'', commonly known as elephant apple or ou tenga, is a species of ''Dillenia'' (Family Dilleniaceae) native to China, India, and tropical Asia. It is found in stony river banks. This species was one of the many first described b ...

'' and boromthuri '' Talauma hodgsonii''. Along the larger rivers, isolated trees of semal ''

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

'' and two species of koroi '' Albizzia'' sp. are common. These forests have a high percentage of tree species (64%) that are animal-dispersed, with 12% tree species being wind-dispersed.Datta, A. and Rawat, G. S. 2008. Dispersal modes and spatial patterns of tree species in a tropical forest in Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India. Tropical Conservation Science 1 (3): 163-183.

Fauna

At least 40 mammal species occur in Pakhui Tiger Reserve (PTR). Three large cats - the

Indian leopard The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a subspecies of the leopard (''P. pardus''). It is widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is threatened by illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to human-leopard ...

and clouded leopard share space with two canids – the

wild dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of whi ...

and Asiatic jackal. Among the herbivore species,

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

, barking deer,

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...

, and sambar are most commonly encountered. The commonest monkeys are the

Rhesus macaque The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or g ...

, Assamese macaque and the capped langur. In addition, PTR is home to as many as sixteen species of viverrids, weasels and

mongooses A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the Family (biology), family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to sou ...

. Commonly seen in pairs is the yellow-throated marten. Notable

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

in the Tiger Reserve are: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat,

, jackal, Himalayan black bear, binturong, elephant, gaur, sambar, hog deer, barking deer,

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

, yellow-throated marten, Malayan giant squirrel,

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe (biology), tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family (biology), family Squirrel, Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight i ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

, capped langur, rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque, gaur. The presence of stamp tailed macaques has been reported by one researcher. At least 296 bird species have been recorded from PTR including the globally endangered white-winged wood duck, the unique ibisbill, and the rare Oriental bay owl. PTR is a good place to see hornbills. Roost sites of wreathed hornbills and great hornbill can be observed on the river banks.Birand, A & Pawar, S (2004) An ornithological survey in north-east India. ''Forktail''20. p.15–24
PDF
/ref> Birds seen in Pakke Tiger Reserve include: Jerdon's baza, pied falconet, white-cheeked hill-partridge, grey peacock-pheasant, elwe's crake, ibisbill, Asian emerald cuckoo, red-headed trogon, green pigeon spp., forest eagle owl,

wreathed hornbill The wreathed hornbill (''Rhyticeros undulatus'') is an Old World tropical bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, also called bar-pouched wreathed hornbill due to its distinctive blue-black band on its lower throat sac. It is named after its cha ...

, great hornbill, collared broadbill and long-tailed broadbill, blue-naped pitta, lesser shortwing, Himalayan shortwing, Daurian redstart, Leschenault's forktail, lesser necklaced laughing-thrush, silver-eared leiothrix, white-bellied yuhina, yellow-bellied flycatcher warbler, sultan tit, ruby-cheeked sunbird, maroon oriole, and crow-billed drongo. Of the over 1500 butterfly species found in India, it is estimated that Pakke Tiger Reserve could be home to at least 500 species. A total of 36 reptile species and 30 amphibian species have been reported in Pakke Tiger Reserve. The Assam roofed turtle, a highly endangered species, is commonly sighted. The king cobra is sometimes seen on the fringes of villages and is not uncommon within the park. The pied warty frog, resembling bird droppings, is also found here.

Park protection

Presently, there are 27 anti-poaching camps where 104 local youth and 20 gaon buras (village fathers) have been employed as forest watchers. A road has been constructed to ease logistics and deter poachers. The people living around the park belong to the Nyishi community. The Ghora Aabhe (a group of village chiefs) and Women Self Help Groups help authorities in wildlife protection by providing information and enforcing customary laws. The Nyishi community has joined hands with civil society and the forest department to protect hornbill nests. The Nyishi tribe uses fiber glass replicas of hornbills beaks as their headgear and has fines for hunting of tigers, among other regulations. The Ghora Aabhe Society (a group of village chiefs) was formed in 2006. A group of 12 village heads, along with the forest department, supports conservation efforts around Pakhui Tiger Reserve (PTR). Their work has been widely recognised, through several awards and articles in print media. The Ghora Aabhe enforce customary laws, institute penalties against hunting and logging, aid in capacity building and spread awareness of PTR.

* Sarkar, P., Verma, S. and Menon, V. 2012. Food selection by Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The Clarion-International Multidisciplinary Journal 1: 70-79. * Velho, N., Ratnam, J., Srinivasan, U. and Sankaran, M. 2012. Shifts in community structure of tropical trees and avian frugivores in forests recovering from past logging. Biological Conservation 153:32-40. * Velho, N., Isvaran, K. and Datta, A. 2012. Rodent seed predation: effects on seed survival, recruitment, abundance and dispersion of bird-dispersed tropical trees. Oecologia 167:1-10. * Velho, N., Srinivasan, U., Prashanth, N.S. and Laurance, W. 2011. Human disease hinders anti-poaching efforts in Indian nature reserves. Biological Conservation 144: 2382-2385 * Velho, N. and Krisnadas, M. 2011. Post-logging recovery of animal-dispersed trees in a tropical forest site in north-east India. Tropical Conservation Science 4: 405-419. * Solanki, G.S. and Kumar, A. 2010. Time budget and activities pattern of Capped langurs Trachypithecus Pileatus in Pakke wildlife sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 107(2): 86-90 * Kumar, A., Solanki, G.S. and Sharma, B.K. 2010. Zoo therapeutic use of capped langur in traditional healthcare and the market value: view from Western Arunachal Pradesh, India. In: S.C. Tiwari (Ed.), Ethnoforestry: The future of Indian forestry. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, India, 524pp. * Lasgorceix, A. and Kothari, A. 2009. Displacement and relocation of Protected Areas: a synthesis and analysis of case studies. Economic & Political Weekly 44: 37-47. * Velho, N., Datta, A. and Isvaran, K. 2009. Effects of rodents on seed fates of hornbill-dispersed tree species in a tropical forest in north-east India. J. Tropical Ecology 25: 507-514. * Kumar, A. and Solanki, G.S. 2009. Cattle-carnivore conflict: A case study of Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh, India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 35: 121-127. * Sethi, P. and Howe, H. 2009. Recruitment of hornbill-dispersed trees in hunted and logged forests of the Indian Eastern Himalaya. Conservation Biology 23: 710-718. * Solanki, G.S., Kumar, A. and Sharma, B.K. Sharma. 2008b. Winter food selection and diet composition of capped langur Trachypithecus pileatus in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Tropical Ecology 49: 157-166. * Datta, A., Naniwadekar, R. and Anand, M.O. 2008a. Diversity, abundance and conservation status of small carnivores in two Protected Areas in Arunachal Pradesh. Small Carnivore Conservation 39: 1-10. * Datta, A. and Goyal, S.P. 2008b. Responses of diurnal tree squirrels to selective logging in western Arunachal Pradesh. Current Science 95: 895-902. * Datta, A. and Rawat, G.S. 2008c. Dispersal modes and spatial patterns of tree species in a tropical forest in Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India. Tropical Conservation Science 1 (3): 163-183. * Kumar, A. and Solanki, G.S. 2008. Population status and conservation of capped langurs (Trachypithecus pileatus) in and around Pakhuil Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Primate Conservation 23: 97-105. * Solanki, G.S., Kumar, A. and Sharma, B.K. 2008a. Feeding Ecology of Trachypithecus pileatus in India. International Journal of Primatology 29:173-182. * Solanki, G.S., Kumar, A. and Sharma, B.K. 2007. Reproductive strategies of Trachypithecus pileatus in Arunachal Pradesh, India. International Journal of Primatology 28: 1075-1083. * Solanki, G.S. and Kumar, A. 2006. Study on aggressive behaviour in wild population of capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) in India. Proceeding of Zoological Society of India 6 (1):15-30. * Kumar, A., Solanki, G.S. and Sharma, B.K. 2005. Observation on parturition behaviour of capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus). Primates 46 (3):215-217. * Solanki, G.S., Chongpi, B. and Kumar, A. 2004. 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Food preference of Rhesus monkey Macaca mulatta during the pre-monsoon & monsoon season, Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary Arunachal Pradesh. Zoo’s Print Journal 18 (8): 1172-1174. * Padmawathe, R., Qureshi, Q. & Rawat, G. S. 2003. Effects of selective logging on vascular epiphyte diversity in a moist lowland forest of Eastern Himalaya, India. Biological Conservation, 119: 81-92. * Datta, A. 2001. Pheasant abundance in selectively logged and unlogged forests of western Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 97 (2): 177-183. * Datta, A. 1998. Hornbill abundance in unlogged forest, selectively logged forest and a plantation in western Arunachal Pradesh. Oryx 32 (4): 285-294.

References

External links

Map
- Pakhui Tiger Reserve {{Authority control Wildlife sanctuaries in Arunachal Pradesh Tiger reserves of India Pakke-Kessang district Environment of Arunachal Pradesh Protected areas established in 1966 1966 establishments in the North-East Frontier Agency