MIRZA, Aug 9 � The preservation of fauna and flora of Loharghat forest is a matter of importance at this hour when restoration of degraded and fragmented forest cover has gained nationwide attention.
Home to a magnificent variety of wild animals, this forested landscape, comprising valuable sal and teak trees is the favoured target of well-organised elements whose plundering of forest resources has already taken a heavy toll.
The pristine biological diversity of this woody vegetation has suffered. Presence of harbourers as well as their predators substantiates the fact of specific environmental condition still prevailing in the 3 reserve forest areas.
Leopard, jungle cat, wild boar, fishing cat, barking deer, flog deer, leopard cat, large Indian civet, etc are the mammalian species. As far as the primate species are concerned, Schedule 1 protected hoolock gibbon, capped langur, slow loris are reported to have been found in Loharghat forest.
Crowned with the status of Important Bird Area, the woody vegetation is learnt to have harboured the tiger, Indian pied hornbill, sambar, pangloin, and hill myna.
Of the three reserve forest areas, both Barduar and Mayang Hill RFs are contiguous. The gap between Borduar and Mataikhar is merely 700 metres. Borduar with 5,878.826 ha area gained reserve forest status in 1875 which has followed by Mataikhar and Mayang Hill RF with their respective 16,48.848 ha and 1,800.634 ha area in 1878 and 1883.
Taking the matter of biodiversity preservation of Loharghat forest seriously a proposal has already been submitted to declare the area as Chandubi Wildlife Sanctuary. Excluding total 1,731.181 ha area from Barduar, (1357.110 ha) Mayng Hill (338.581 ha) and from Mataikhar (35.490 ha) from the proposed area of sanctuary, the submission of the proposed sanctuary with area measuring 9328.308 ha was made by the then FRO and now ACF Ranjit Konwar. The area of Mayng Hill RF has been reduced to 1800.634 ha due to preserve of forest villages in its territory such as No. 1 Rajapara, No. 2 Rajapara, Hatigarh and Jaramukhuria.
Being witness to the growing biotic pressure, a group of senior citizens, while talking to this correspondent have insisted on the pressing need of upgradation to conservation status to preserve the remaining wildlife diversity. �While addressing the troubles of tribals who are still impoverished in the resource rich area, they should be sensitised on the necessity of biodiversity conservation,� they prescribed.
The reversal of the trend of forest decimation, which is instrumental in habitat destruction and eventually species depletion, is the need of the hour. Yet to recover fully from the past on slought, particularly the destruction way back in 2007 unleashed on Mataikhar and Borduar RF, the Loharghat forest needs effective conservation initiatives.
Meanwhile, referring to the migration of wild elephants and the eventual depredations in the plain area, the attached cultivators blamed it on the man-induced trouble which was brewing in the territory of the jumbos.
The frontiline staff, who from the backbone of forest conservation, should be well-equipped to combat the menace. Requesting anonymity, a forest personnel said, �The future of our jobs depends on well-planned protection and conservation of forest�. Emphasising on the need of a helping hand from the local populace, particularly from the forest dwellers, Subodh Talukdar, FRO, Loharghat said, Official efforts, if supplemented by public, yield results to the desired level.� Being home to a prolific bird life, the conservation of keystone plant species, which play significant role in biodiversity conservation, should also be in the list of priority.
As far as the scenic beauty of Chandubi is concerned, it is in a class of its own. With tapping the full sustainable tourism in a regulated manner, the destructive design of smuggling network could be foiled. To make it a reality, conservation is a must.
