India `discovers' rain forests in Assam
Copyright 2000, The Times of India News Service
October 1, 2000
Mohua Chatterjee
NEW DELHI: Rain forests in Assam? Whoever heard of that? The only rain forests known to exist in India are in Kerala. But, if environmentalist Saumyadeep Dutta has his way, two rain forests - in Assam and Kerala - will figure on India's ecological map.
Dutta, supported by an NGO, Ashoka, has discovered a 500 sq km stretch of rain forest in Assam, which spills into Arunachal Pradesh.
Rain forests grow in warm and constantly wet conditions, with an annual rainfall of more than 80 inches. Trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, etc form a complex system of indistinct layers. These rich forests shelter life forms in the different layers - from the dimly-lit forest floor to the sunny canopy of trees towering between 65-100 feet. They once covered 20 per cent of the planet; now, barely seven per cent. They grow in more than 50 countries; 33 per cent are in Brazil. Zaire and Indonesia make for another 10 per cent.
In 1998, Dutta sent a proposal on behalf of his group, Nature's Beckon, to the ministry of forests and environment, the forest minister of Assam and the principal chief conservator of forest, Assam, to declare the reserved forest areas of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak as ``Joydihing Wildlife Sanctuary''. ``If this last patch of rain forest in the state is not brought under protection laws of the Indian wildlife sanctuary, in a few decades they'll be fragmented and precious wildlife will be lost forever,'' wrote Dutta.
``This forest houses at least 32 species of mammals and 260 species of birds, which include extinct and rare species like elephant, tiger, clouded leopard, Chinese pangolin, sloth bear, sambar, hoolock gibbons, kalij pheasants, hornbills, wood ducks,'' said Dutta.
``We must return to nature what we have taken from her,'' said Dutta. He started Nature's Beckon at the age of 13, along with family members. He found that nowhere were these forests identified as rain forests. ``I learnt that the International Rain Forest Conservation Movement (IRFCM) had no idea about the existence of rain forests here,'' said Dutta, who is documenting the flora and fauna found in the forest, for the past four years.
He seems to be making headway. He met Union minister of state for forests, Babulal Marandi on Thursday. ``I am very hopeful that the government will declare the forest as a sanctuary. And IRFCM, WWF (Project Tiger) and Bombay Natural History Society is also backing my efforts.''
Ministry sources confirmed that they are following up the matter - they are awaiting a report from the Assam government on this. ``We have also received an appeal from 1,000 signatories in support of the proposal,'' said the source. Dutta will be addressing a Press conference in Delhi on November 17, to make his findings public.