Assam's Nameri suffers shrinkage of grassland

GUWAHATI: The 344 sq km Nameri Tiger Reserve (NTR) in Assam's Sonitpur district has experienced over the years shrinkage of areas under grassland, posing concern to the long-term survival of big cats. Different herbivore species, which provide prey base for tigers, depend on the grasslands.

According to the latest assessment of predators and prey status report on NTR, the analysis of satellite data between 1973 and 2011 has indicated decline of nearly 50 % of grasslands in the tiger reserve. Main reasons cited for the decline of grasslands are expansion of woodlands and erosion of river banks.

NTR is bounded on the west by Jia-Bhoreli and on the east by Bor-Dikorai rivers.

The Naduar and Balipara reserved forests in Sonitpur, which form buffer of NTR, have suffered significant encroachment.

In the assessment report, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)'s assistant inspector general of forest, Rajendra G Garawad has pointed out that conservation of herbivores like hog deer is very much dependent on NTR’s riverine grasslands.

Garawad, who was the divisional forest officer of western Assam wildlife division during the assessment period, said that high priority should be given for restoring the remaining grasslands to prevent hog deer from becoming locally extinct.

The assessment, carried out between 2012 and 2014, said that NTR has an estimated five to eight tigers, with tiger density varying from 1.3 to 1.5 tigers per 100 square km.

The report said that though NTR has low density of tigers, there is still scope for increasing the density of tigers.

“To achieve this, the protection of both predators and prey base needs to be enhanced by consolidating strong protection measures and habitat management initiatives,” the report suggested.

Located on the northern part of Sonitpur, NTR adjoins Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke Tiger Reserve. Despite its small size, Nameri is known for rich diversity of flora and fauna.

The assessment report has revealed a total of 36 species including seven wild cats (tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat, golden cat, marbled cat and leopard cat) and five ungulates (sambar, gaur, barking deer, hog deer and wild boar) captured during three years of camera-trap exercise in NTR.

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