Pakke Tiger Reserve, also known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve, is a

Project Tiger Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protecti ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in the

East Kameng East Kameng district is one of districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern, India. It shares an international border with China in the north and district borders with West Kameng district to the west, Pakke-Kessang district to the south ...

district of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

. The reserve is protected by the

Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh The Department of Environment and Forests of Arunachal Pradesh (DEFAP) is a state-sponsored agency responsible for conserving the environment, identifying, establishing, and conserving protected areas in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. S ...

. In a notification (CWL/D/26/94/1393-1492) dated Itanagar 19 April 2001, issued by the Principal Secretary, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh renamed Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary as Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary Division. This Tiger Reserve has won India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of 'Conservation of threatened species' for its

Hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (an ...

Nest Adoption Programme.

Location

Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the undulating and hilly foothills of the

Eastern Himalayas ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. It ...

in Arunachal Pradesh's Pakke Kessang District at elevations ranging from . It is bounded by Bhareli or

Kameng River The Kameng River (previously named Bharali River, now called Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh and Jiabharali (Jia Bharali) in Assam) in the eastern Himalayan mountains, originates in Tawang district from the glacial lake below snow-capped Gori Chen ...

in the west and north, and by Pakke River in the east. It is surrounded by contiguous forests on most sides. To the east lies Papum Reserve Forest with an area of . Towards the south and south-east, the sanctuary adjoins reserve forests and Assam's

Nameri National Park Nameri National Park is a national park in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam, India, about 35 km from Tezpur. Nameri is about 9 km from Chariduar, the nearest village. Nameri shares its northern boundary ...

. To the west, it is bounded by Doimara Reserve Forest with an area of and

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary Eaglenest or Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng ri ...

; and to the north by Shergaon Forest Division. Selective logging on a commercial scale occurred in the reserve forests until 1996. The main perennial streams in the area are the Nameri, Khari and Upper Dikorai. West of Kameng River are

Sessa Orchid Sanctuary Sessa Orchid Sanctuary is a 100 km2 protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills in Bhalukpong Forest Division of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary to the southwest. It is a part of the Kam ...

and

History

The area of Pakke Tiger Reserve was initially constituted as Pakhui Reserve Forest on 1 July 1966 and declared a game reserve on 28 March 1977. In 2001, it was renamed Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary and became Pakhui Tiger Reserve on 23 April 2002 as the 26th Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger of the

National Tiger Conservation Authority The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established in December 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Re ...

Geography

The reserves elevations range from above msl. The terrain is rugged with mountainous ranges in the north and narrow plains and sloping hill valleys in the south. The sanctuary slopes southwards towards the river valley of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

. The area of Brahmaputra and

Chittagong Hills The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeas ...

, which includes Pakke and

Namdapha Tiger Reserve Namdapha National Park is a large protected area in Arunachal Pradesh of Northeast India. The park was established in 1983. With more than 1,000 floral and about 1,400 faunal species, it is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas. The ...

, is the north-western limit of the Indochinese tiger's range, bordering the eastern limit of the

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

's range.Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011)
''Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010.''
National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302

Climate

Pakke Tiger Reserve has a

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

with cold weather from November to March. The temperature varies from . Annual rainfall is . It receives rainfall predominantly from the south-west monsoon in May to September and

north-east monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

from November to April. October and November are relatively dry. Winds are generally of moderate velocity. Thunderstorms occasionally occur in March–April. The average annual rainfall is 2500 mm. May and June are the hottest months. Humidity levels reach 80% during the summer.

Flora

The habitat types are lowland semi-evergreen,

evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zone ...

and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. A total of 343 woody species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s (angiosperms) have been recorded from the lowland areas of the park, with a high representation of species from the families Euphorbiaceae and

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

, but at least 1500 species of

vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

are expected from Pakhui WLS, of which 500 species would be woody. While about 600 species of orchids are reported from Arunachal Pradesh, Pakhui WLS and adjoining areas also harbour many orchid species. The forest has a typical layered structure and the major emergent species are Bhelu '' Tetrameles nudiflora'', Borpat ''Ailanthus grandis'' and Jutuli '' Altingia excelsa''. The general vegetation type of the entire tract is classified as Assam Valley tropical semi-evergreen forest. The forests are multi-storeyed and rich in

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

flora and woody lianas. The vegetation is dense, with a high diversity and density of woody lianas and climbers. The forest types include tropical semi-evergreen forests along the lower plains and foothills dominated by Kari ''

Polyalthia ''Polyalthia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.

simiarum'', Hatipehala ''

Pterospermum acerifolium ''Pterospermum acerifolium'', the bayur tree or karnikara tree, is a flowering plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma. It is most likely to grow naturally along forested stream banks. The best growing conditions are a seasonall ...

'', Karibadam '' Sterculia alata'', Paroli ''

Stereospermum ''Stereospermum'' is a genus of trees in the paleotropical clade of the family Bignoniaceae. A species of ''Stereospermum'' (S. chelonoides) is used in herbal medicine in Ayurveda as well as it is an integral part of the culture and tradition of ...

chelonioides'', ''

Ailanthus ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

grandis'' and Khokun ''

Duabanga grandiflora From its peculiar habit, ''Duabanga grandiflora'' (syn. ''D. sonneratioides'') is a singular feature in its native forests. The trunk is erect, 40–80 feet high, undivided but sometimes forking from the base. The lower limbs spread drooping fro ...

''. The tropical semi-evergreen forests are scattered along the lower plains and foothills, dominated by ''Altingia excelsa'', Nahar '' Mesua ferrea'', Banderdima ''

Dysoxylum binectariferum ''Dysoxylum gotadhora'' is a tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to Bhutan, India, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. The name ''Dysoxylum ficiforme'' (Wight) Gamble in India and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී � ...

'', ''Beilschmedia'' sp. and other middle storey trees belonging to the

and

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

. These forests have a large number of species of economic value. Subtropical broadleaved forests of the

Fagaceae The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as evergre ...

and Lauraceae dominate the hill tops and higher reaches. Moist areas near streams have a profuse growth of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

, cane and palms. About eight species of bamboo occur in the area, in moist areas in gullies, in areas previously under settlements, or subjected to some form of disturbance on the hill slopes. At least 5 commercially important cane species grow in moist areas, along with Tokko '' Livistona jenkinsiana'', a species used extensively by locals for thatching roofs. Along the larger perennial streams, there are shingle beds with patches of tall grassland, which give way to lowland moist forests with Outenga '' Dillenia indica'' and Boromthuri ''

Talauma hodgsonii ''Magnolia hodgsonii'' ( syn. ''Talauma hodgsonii''), known in Chinese as ''gai lie mu'' is a species of Magnolia native to the forests of the Himalaya and southeastern Asia, occurring in Bhutan, southwestern China, Tibet, northeastern India, nor ...

''. Along the larger rivers, isolated trees of Semal ''

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

'' and two species of Koroi '' Albizzia'' sp. are common. These forests have a high percentage of tree species (64%) that are animal-dispersed, with 12% tree species being wind-dispersed.Datta, A. and Rawat, G. S. 2008. Dispersal modes and spatial patterns of tree species in a tropical forest in Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India. Tropical Conservation Science 1 (3): 163-183.

Fauna

At least 40 mammal species occur in Pakhui Tiger Reserve (PTR). Three large cats - the

, Indian leopard and

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

share space with two canids – the

wild dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of w ...

and Asiatic jackal. Among the herbivore species,

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

, barking deer, gaur, and sambar are most commonly encountered. The commonest monkeys are the Rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque and the capped langur. In addition, PTR is home to as many as sixteen species of viverrids,

weasels Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodi ...

and

mongooses A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...

. Commonly seen in pairs is the yellow-throated marten. Notable mammals in the Tiger Reserve are: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat,

, jackal, Himalayan black bear, binturong, elephant, gaur, sambar, hog deer, barking deer,

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

, yellow-throated marten,

Malayan giant squirrel The black giant squirrel or Malayan giant squirrel (''Ratufa bicolor'') is a large tree squirrel in the genus '' Ratufa'' native to the Indomalayan zootope. It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan ...

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

, capped langur, rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque, gaur. The presence of stamp tailed macaques has been reported by one researcher. At least 296 bird species have been recorded from PTR including the globally endangered white-winged wood duck, the unique ibisbill, and the rare Oriental bay owl. PTR is a good place to see hornbills. Roost sites of wreathed hornbills and great hornbill can be observed on the river banks.Birand, A & Pawar, S (2004) An ornithological survey in north-east India. ''Forktail''20. p.15–24
PDF
/ref> Birds seen in Pakke Tiger Reserve include:

Jerdon's baza Jerdon's baza (''Aviceda jerdoni'') is a moderate sized brown hawk with a thin white-tipped black crest usually held erect. It is found in South-east Asia. It inhabits foothills in the terai and is rarer in evergreen forests and tea estates.Rasm ...

pied falconet The pied falconet, (''Microhierax melanoleucos'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. These raptors belon ...

, white-cheeked hill-partridge,

grey peacock-pheasant The gray peacock-pheasant (''Polyplectron bicalcaratum''), also known as Burmese peacock-pheasant, is a large Asian member of the order (biology), order Galliformes. Taxonomy In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards (naturalist), George Ed ...

, elwe's crake,

ibisbill The ibisbill (''Ibidorhyncha struthersii'') is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Ibidorhynchidae. It is grey with a white belly, red legs and long down-curved bill, and a black face and black breas ...

Asian emerald cuckoo The Asian emerald cuckoo (''Chrysococcyx maculatus'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its n ...

red-headed trogon The red-headed trogon (''Harpactes erythrocephalus'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. Etymology ''H. erythrocephalus'' comes from the Ancient Greek terms ἐρυθρός ''eruthros'' meaning red and κεφαλή, ''kephalē'' mean ...

green pigeon ''Treron'' is a genus of bird in the pigeon family Columbidae. Its members are commonly called green pigeons. The genus is distributed across Asia and Africa. This genus contains 30 species, remarkable for their green coloration, hence the common ...

spp., forest eagle owl, wreathed hornbill, great hornbill, collared broadbill and long-tailed broadbill,

blue-naped pitta The blue-naped pitta (''Hydrornis nipalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. Description It is a brightly colored bird, with a stub-tail. It is blue and green above, with a reddish-yellow coloring below. The bird's nape and hind ...

lesser shortwing The lesser shortwing (''Brachypteryx leucophris'') is a species of chat. This species is now classified in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia, Sumatra, Java and the Lesser Sundas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or t ...

Himalayan shortwing The Himalayan shortwing (''Brachypteryx cruralis'') is a species of chat. This species is now classified in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in South-east Asia from the Himalayas to southern China, northwestern Thailand and northern Indoch ...

Daurian redstart The Daurian redstart (''Phoenicurus auroreus'') is a small passerine bird from temperate Asia. In Japan, it is known as ''jōbitaki'' (ジョウビタキ). The species was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776. Description and systemati ...

, Leschenault's forktail, lesser necklaced laughing-thrush, silver-eared leiothrix,

white-bellied yuhina The white-bellied erpornis (''Erpornis zantholeuca'') or simply erpornis is a species of bird. It is the only member of the genus ''Erpornis''. This bird is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, M ...

, yellow-bellied flycatcher warbler,

sultan tit The sultan tit (''Melanochlora sultanea'') is an Asian forest bird with a yellow crest, dark bill, black upperparts plumage and yellow underparts. The sexes are similar. The female has greenish-black upperparts and a yellowish throat. The young ...

, ruby-cheeked sunbird,

maroon oriole The maroon oriole (''Oriolus traillii'') is a species of bird in the family Oriolidae. It is found in Southeast Asia. Taxonomy The maroon oriole was originally described in the genus ''Rosy starling, Pastor''. Along with the Black oriole, black, ...

, and

crow-billed drongo The crow-billed drongo (''Dicrurus annectens'') is a species of bird in the family Dicruridae. It is native to moist tropical forests of southeastern Asia where its range extends from India to the Philippines and Indonesia. It is a completely bl ...

. Of the over 1500 butterfly species found in India, it is estimated that Pakke Tiger Reserve could be home to at least 500 species. A total of 36 reptile species and 30 amphibian species have been reported in Pakke Tiger Reserve. The

Assam roofed turtle The Assam roofed turtle or Sylhet roofed turtle (''Pangshura sylhetensis'') is a turtle species of the family Geoemydidae found in the Brahmaputra-Meghna drainage in India (Assam) and parts of eastern Bangladesh. It was formerly placed in the gen ...

, a highly endangered species, is commonly sighted. The king cobra is sometimes seen on the fringes of villages and is not uncommon within the park. The pied warty frog, resembling bird droppings, is also found here.

Park protection

Presently, there are 27 anti-poaching camps where 104 local youth and 20 gaon buras (village fathers) have been employed as forest watchers. A road has been constructed to ease logistics and deter poachers. The people living around the park belong to the Nyishi community. The Ghora Aabhe (a group of village chiefs) and Women Self Help Groups help authorities in wildlife protection by providing information and enforcing customary laws. The Nyishi community has joined hands with civil society and the forest department to protect hornbill nests. The Nyishi tribe uses fiber glass replicas of hornbills beaks as their headgear and has fines for hunting of tigers, among other regulations. The Ghora Aabhe Society (a group of village chiefs) was formed in 2006. A group of 12 village heads, along with the forest department, supports conservation efforts around Pakhui Tiger Reserve (PTR). Their work has been widely recognised, through several awards and articles in print media. The Ghora Aabhe enforce customary laws, institute penalties against hunting and logging, aid in capacity building and spread awareness of PTR.

References

External links

Map
- Pakhui Tiger Reserve {{Authority control Wildlife sanctuaries in Arunachal Pradesh Tiger reserves of India Pakke-Kessang district Environment of Arunachal Pradesh Protected areas established in 1966 1966 establishments in the North-East Frontier Agency