Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve

Topic: Protected Areas

Why in the news?

• The Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve is conducting the 7th Butterfly Meet and Nature Camp at Deban in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district.

Source: The Print

About Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh, surrounded by Myanmar in the southeast.
• It is located at the junction of the Indian subcontinent Biogeographic Region and the Indo-China Biogeographic Region. As a result of this, extensive diversity of flora and fauna is observed in this belt.
• This protected area is wedged between the Dapha Bum ridge of Mishmi Hills, of North Eastern Himalayas and the Patkai Ranges.
• It has a common boundary with Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary (Lohit District) and Nampong Forest Division on the south-western side (Changlang District) of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The park spans a wide altitudinal range from 200 m to 4,571 m at Dapha Bum, the highest point in the park.
• Namdapha is the name of a river which originates from Dapha Bum and meets the Noa-Dihing river (a tributary of the Brahmaputra River).
  • This river flows right across in a north-south direction of the park and hence the name Namdapha has been given.
• Vegetation: The Biomes recognized are evergreen Forests, Moist deciduous forests, subtropical forests, Temperate Forests and Alpine. 
• Flora:
  • As many as 150 timber species are found here, with species like Pinus Merkusi and Abies Delavavi being exclusive to the park.
  • Blue Vanda, a rare and endangered orchard, is also found here.
  • Then there are medicinal plants like Mishimi Teeta, which is used by the local tribes to treat different types of diseases.
• Fauna:
  • It is the only park in the entire world to have the four feline species of big cat namely the Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Clouded Leopard, and numbers of Lesser cats.
  • It is also home to the distinctive Hoolock Gibbons, highly endangered and only ‘ape’ species found in India.
  • Other animals found here include elephants, black bear, Indian Bison, pig-tailed macaque, several species of deers, reptiles and a variety of arboreal animals.