Chapter 20
 

CONSERVATION OF TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS
IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH
 

- D.N. Singh

Introduction

The Arunachal Pradesh is situated between 26°28' N & 29°30' N latitudes and 91° 30' E & 97° 30' E longitudes. It covers a geographical area of 83,743 sq. km. It is the largest state in the northeastern part of India among seven sisters. The state is predominantly hilly and mountainous. It is flanked by China in the north and northeast (1,080 Km) separated by McMohan line, by Bhutan (160 Km) in west, by and Myanmar(440Km) in east, and in south by the Indian states of Assam and Nagaland. It is predominantly a tribal state consisting of 82 major tribes and sub-tribes of Indo-Mongoloid and Mongoloid lineage. (Singh, 1999 ). It has 16 districts. Most of the land area of the state is under tribal ownership which is managed under their customary practices. In Arunachal Pradesh the Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests (Rain Forests) occurs in around 1000 sq.km. area in the Tirap, Changlang and Lohit (Namsai sub-division) districts.( Figure I)

It is located between 270 N & 280 N Latitude and 940 30' E to 950 15' E Longitude. This tropical rain forest patch exists 270 N of equator in sub-tropical belt due to significant variations in climatic elements. The climatic conditions are closely associated with the atmospheric conditions of the Indian sub-continent which is controlled by

(a) prevalence of atmospheric conditions in the Indian Ocean where South-West monsoon is developed and pushed towards the Tropical Zone by the cross-equatorial jet-stream of the Indian Ocean, and

(b) topographic features of the Great Himalayan ranges of the East and 'the Himalayan loops' situated on Indo-Tibetan and Indo-Burmese borders of the East (Hills of Barail, Naga, Patkai-Bum and Mishmi) specify the causes of seasonal as well as areal variation in micro-climatic elements in Arunachal Pradesh. The surface winds in this belt are governed by high atmospheric pressure on the Indian Ocean and low pressure in the areas of the Greater Himalayas and very low pressure in the Western parts of the sub-continent during the summer season. This, cross equatorial jet stream moves towards the foot-hill areas of the Arunachal Himalayas and pushes the sub-tropical jet stream northwards. As a result, climatological front shifts in those areas of the state during summer. (Singh, 1999). It creates tropical characteristics in the sub-tropical belt.

These rain forests are restricted along the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is termed as South Bank Tropical Wet Evergreen Dipterocarpus Forest (Champion,1968). Its altitude varies between 150 mts to 600 mts. The mean temperature ranges between 220 C to 360 C in summer and 100 C to 250 C in winter. The rainfall starts with pre-monsoon rains in March. It is followed by the onset of Monsoon in May to its withdrawal during September (3/4th rainfall occurs during this period). The retreating monsoon and North East Monsoon also causes some rains in between. The total rainfall in this belt is in the range of 2500 mm to 3500 mm. There virtually exists no dry month in this belt.

This forest type is characterized by its unique structure and composition with important commercial timber species like Dipterocarpus macrocarpus (Hollong), Shorea assamica (Mekai), Terminalia myriocarpa (Holock), Mesua ferrea (Nahor), Altingia excelsa, Artocarpus chaplasha, Michelia spp. Amoora wallichi, Tetrameles  nudiflora, Ailanthes grandis etc. The forest is rich in orchids (with around 132 spp) and other epiphytes, ferns, climbers. (Anon., 1993)

From the forestry management point of view, the entire rain forest area is under the territorial jurisdictions of Deomali Forest Division, Nampong Forest Division and Namsai Forest Division in the south and southeastern parts of the state. The parts of Tirap, Changlang and Lohit district covering the tropical rain forest area is inhabited by the tribal population mentioned in the Table I.

The tropical rain forests of Arunachal Pradesh have been notified for scientific management on the basis of the silvicultural practices as various types of Reserved Forests since 1936 when first reserved forest was notified at Namsai.  The reserved forests which have wet evergreen forests types in its floral composition are listed in the Table II.

Threats to Rainforest

The main threats to the conservation of tropical rain forests in the state are:

Human Population Growth: The Tirap, Changlang and Lohit districts have seen tremendous growth of human population over the years compared to other parts of the state and the country. (Table III).

* In Arunachal Pradesh census was conducted for the first time in 1961.

Coupled with this is the large scale migration of people from high hills to the valley. It is the valley which has got largest concentration of population compared to hills. The tropical rain forest is concentrated in the valleys and adjacent hills. The people prefer to settle in the valley and use the nearby hills and valley lands for their agricultural and horticultural uses. All these activities are a potent threat to the future of rain forests. The tribal people of the region are backward and their quality of life needs to be improved to bring them in the national mainstream. However, a judicious balance needs to be maintained between developmental needs and environmental considerations for the benefit of one and all. The excessive growth of population is responsible for all the problems of encroachment and damages to the flora and fauna by biotic pressures.

Shifting Cultivation: The shifting (jhum) cultivation is practiced in the Tirap and the Changlang districts alongwith other parts of the state. It is practiced along the slopes in the valleys. The cycle of shifting cultivation was 3 years in the tropical Wet Evergreen Forests (Assam Valley Tropical Wet-Evergreen Forest) of the Tirap and the Changlang district compared to average of 6 to 10 years in other parts of the state. (Anon.1982). It is estimated that 54,000 families practice shifting cultivation in the state (Anon., 1992) over 0.23 million ha (Anon., 1999). In the past, when the cycle of shifting cultivation was long and the density of population low, the ecological balance was not much disturbed. However, it has now come down to 2 to 3 years. Steep slopes and the areas unfit for agriculture have been brought under cultivation. The land considered fallow due to steepness of the slope or porosity of the soil is now put to use because of population pressure. It is responsible for reduction in the area of the rain forests and  is causing immense damage to the forests.

Mining:  The tropical rain forests of the Arunachal Pradesh is very rich in deposit of minerals like coal & petroleum. The coal is available in the Namchik-Namphuk Belt. Its reserve is estimated to be 84.23 million tonnes. At present open cast mining is under way at a small scale. However, the economic necessity of the backward state has compelled it to increase the mining to augment its revenue. The state is exploring all avenues to increase its coal production. For this purpose it is seeking help from the private sector on a large scale. The Crude Oil & Natural Gas reserves are available in the Kumchai, Diyun, Kharsang and Nampong belt. It is being explored and exploited at a large scale by the public sector as well as private sector agencies. Although  the government grants mining leases over a small area but the damage is caused over a much wider area by the private sector to maximize their return. This is a major threat to future of the rich forests.

Wood based Industries: The tropical rain forest is endowed with Dipterocarpus macrocaups  (Hollong) and Shorea assamica (Mekai). These species are in great demand by the plywood and veneer industries for use as face in the manufacturing of the plywood. These species are the main reasons for location of large numbers of wood based industries, particularly, plywood and veneer units in this region. The ownership (licence) of these industries is in the name of the local influential person. However, the financial investments and the operation of the industries are in the hands of the outsiders, the people from the north India. Thus, the industries are operated with sole motive of maximizing profit in the least possible time. As such all possible foul plays are resorted to by the operators of these industries. The raw material is from the forests and the brunt of the reckless and ruthless operation is ultimately borne by the forests in terms of large scale legal and illegal cutting of timber. The result is the irreparable damage to the ecologically sensitive rain forests. The above fact is corroborated by the seizure of huge illegal timbers in these belts of the rain forests in 1997 as per the orders of the Supreme Court of India.

Tea cultivation: Tea is the most important non-food crop of the North Eastern region. Assam and Tripura are the largest producers of the tea in the region and they accounts for more than 54% of the total tea produced in the country. Tea cultivation in Arunachal is of recent origin. Vast tracts of forested hill slopes having community ownership of the land and favourable climatic conditions present immense potential for tea in the state. Darjeeling variety of tea is found to grow well in the hill slopes. The tea gardens set up in the state forest corporation and other private parties have been a success. The tea is planted in the virgin areas with scope for producing organic tea which has excellent market and high profit margins. Moreover, now the concept of growing tea in small holdings has come up which was unheard of until 1975. The average size of such holdings is less than 1 hectare. Large numbers of private tea processing factories have come up in the region. They process the green leaf supplied by small growers. The tea gardens have seen a phenomenal growth in the state after the restrictions imposed on the timber operation by the Supreme Court of India in 1996. The subsidy, easy loans, setting up of the Tea Development Board by the state government are some other causes helping in the large scale growth of the tea industry in the state. Large areas of the rain forest have been cleared in the recent years to establish tea gardens, particularly in Namsai, Chowkham, Diyun, Bordumsa, Miao, Jairampur and Deomali areas.

Developmental Activities: The Tirap and Changlang are the most backward districts of the state. The planners and leaders of these remote and backward districts are trying hard to develop it to accelerate the pace of economic development. Consequently, development of social and economic infrastructure in the towns and villages has been taken up on a large scale. Such developmental projects in these hilly areas have been taken up without adequate environmental considerations. The result is deforestation, soil erosion and damage to the ecological balance.

Insurgency:  The rain forest belt of the  Lohit, Tirap and Changlang districts of the state is badly affected by the insurgency. It has its impact on the overall protection of the forests by the forest personnel. Sanctioned posts are vacant for years. The staffs posted are afraid to venture inside the forests for patrol duty. As a result of this the entire area is practically unguarded and unprotected putting a big question mark on the very survival of this fragile ecosystem.

References

Anon., (1993), Arunachal Forest, Department of Environment & Forests, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar.

Anon. (1992). Basic Statistics of North Eastern Region ,1992. North Eastern Council, Shillong

Anon., (2001) .Provisional Population Totals : India . Census of India 2001, Paper I of 2001. The Registrar General of India, New Delhi

Anon. (1980). Population Data Regarding Forestry Communities Practicing shifting cultivation. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi.

Anon. (2000) State of Forest Report, 1999. Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Dehradun.

Anon. (2002). State of Forest Report, 2001. Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Dehradun.

Champion, H.G. and  Seth, S.K. (1968).  A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India. Publication Division, Delhi.

Pandey B.B., (2001). Wonder Land Arunachal Pradesh. Directorate of Tourism, Govt. of A.P. Itanagar,

Singh Surendra (1999), A Resource Atlas of Arunachal Pradesh. Department of Planning, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar.

Sundriyal, R.C. ,Singh, Trilochan and Sinha, G.N. (2002). Arunachal Pradesh- Environmental Planning and Sustainable Development- Opportunities and Challenges. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, Uttaranchal.