The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently designated Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve and Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). Located in the Changlang and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh, these areas now benefit from enhanced protection aimed at conserving their unique landscapes and rich biodiversity.
Namdapha National Park, established as a national park and tiger reserve in 1983, is a vast sanctuary in the Eastern Himalayas, known for its remarkable biodiversity. Originally declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1972, Namdapha covers a significant portion of the region and houses over 1,000 floral species and about 1,400 faunal species. The park’s name is derived from two Singpho words, nam, meaning water and dapha, meaning origin, referring to the Dapha Bum glaciers from which the Namdapha River originates.
The Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary on the other hand was established in 1989 as the 50th Tiger Reserve in India. The park is named after the Kamlang river, which flows through it. While the Lang River forms its northern border and the Namdapha National Park is on its southern border, this park also boasts a waterbody called Glow Lake located in tropical and sub-tropical climatic zones making the sanctuary a habitat of the four big cat species of India: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard.
The recent Eco-Sensitive Zone status provides a buffer around the park and the Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary to protect these core areas from potentially harmful human activities, such as deforestation and construction. This new designation is a significant step towards ensuring the sustainability of the region’s ecosystems and the conservation of its rare plant and animal species.
Chief minister Pema Khandu expressed his support for the initiative, announcing that Pakke Tiger Reserve will soon be included in the same ESZ category. In a social media post, he said, “Delighted to share that @moefcc has declared Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve (Changlang district) and Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary & Tiger Reserve (Lohit district) as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ).”
Both the national parks are home to a variety of wildlife, including the rare Namdapha flying squirrel, black giant squirrel, elephants, sambhar, barking deer, dhole, Malayan sun bears, Indian wolves and Asiatic black bears. This new status is seen as a vital move to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of Arunachal Pradesh, preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity of these reserves for future generations.