Manas, 12 June, 2014: Through International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) support, in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department, a much needed anti-poaching tower was inaugurated on the occasion of World Environment Day, last week, in the Kuklung Range of the Manas Reserve Forest, in the Chirang Forest Division of Bodoloand Territorial Area District (BTAD).

Inaugurated in the presence of WTI, Raigajili President and Secretary, SSB official Dr Virendra Kumar Bhartiya (Commandant SSB Dongsiapara Company), Range Officer Shishir Kumar Brahma of Kuklung Range, the anti-poaching/watch tower has been established in a strategic location to help Raigajli Eco-tourism and Social Welfare Society (RESWS) in protecting the forest and wildlife from threats. The watch tower will serve as a base for staff of the forest department as well as volunteers of RESWS as they concentrate on curtailing poaching activities in the area.

Shishir Kumar Brahma, Range Officer Kuklung Range Chirang Division said, “The anti-poaching camp is a good opportunity and the infrastructure will benefit forest and wildlife conservation in the range.”

The watch tower being inaugurated. Photo: Nizira Borgayari / IFAW-WTI

Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Regional Head of Assam for WTI said, “Manas Reserve Forest is a continuous forest patch of more than 350 sq km area west of Manas N P and have Bhutan forest in the North. This is a typical true Bhabar-Terai formation area with three major rivers flowing through. Unfortunately, Manas has been facing social and civil unrest for several years now which has also led to a degradation of socio-economic conditions which has taken a major toll on the wildlife in the area. The major problem is illegal extraction of timber, medicinal plants and poaching of wildlife including Asian elephants. The forest staff and the service providers of Raigajli ecotourism will be able to use this camp and watch tower to increase detection and prevention of wildlife crime in this area. A proposal for upgradation of this Reserve Forest to Wildlife Sanctuary is pending before State Government.”

The Kuklung Reserve Forest in the Chirang Forest Division of the Chirang district of Greater Manas is abundant with biodiversity including many species ranging from the tigers, elephants, pygmy hogs, golden langurs, capped langurs, clouded leopards etc. The anti-poaching/watch tower will be the first of its kind in the region and is supported through the IFAW-WTI Greater Manas Conservation Fund (GMCF).

The much-needed watch tower. Photo: Nizira Borgayari / IFAW-WTI

Radhika Bhagat the Head of WTI’s Wild Aid division, shed some light on the history of RESWS’s efforts in the area saying, “They as a local NGO along with the Forest Department have been doing a lot to help protect the area but have also been attacked for the same. In fact in 2010 four volunteers of their organisation were seriously injured after timber smugglers demolished their office which was also looking at anti-poaching activities, in retaliation to many illegal timbers were seized due to RESWS’s efforts.”

IFAW-WTI has been working in the Greater Manas landscape for several years with the Assam Forest Department, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), the communities and local NGOs in efforts to bring Manas back to the former glory. With the tagline ‘Bringing Back Manas’ resounding in all the work being carried out, the projects vary from species recovery with the rhino and elephant rehabilitation project to green livelihoods being encouraged with the weaving centres being established to promote traditional forms of weaving help curb anthropogenic pressures on the forest. Alternate energy resources have also been endorsed in the fringe villages of Greater Manas in the form of improved cook stoves which have been adopted by hundreds of families in the area.