DIBRUGARH, Dec 21— The proposed Joydehing wildlife sanctuary, which is yet to be notified by the Government despite a public assurance by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi himself more than a year ago, now faces another hurdle. It is authoritatively learnt that the State Government wants the Upper Dehing reserved forest to be excluded from the purview of the proposed sanctuary. The three contiguous reserved forests, namely Dirak, Joypur and Upper Dehing, comprising an area of about 500 square kilometers are one of the last surviving virgin rain forests in the world. The area has a rich biodiversity and is home to several rare and endangered wildlife species, including the country’s only ape, the Hollock Gibbon. And if the Upper Dehing reserved forest is left out of the proposed Joydehing sanctuary, it would be a gross injustice to the rainforest preservation movement, feels wildlife enthusiasts here.
Apart from the three reserved forests’ rich flora and fauna bank, the area is also a recognized elephant corridor, with herds routinely travelling between Myanmar and Nepal through the country’s North East States. It appears the State Government wants the Upper Dehing reserved forest under the Digboi Forest Division out of the purview of the proposed sanctuary for future commercial exploitation of the forest. The rule book also states that reserved forests ‘are kept reserved for future commercial exploitation by Government agencies”. But if declared a sanctuary or a biosphere reserve or a national park, future commercial exploitation of the resource becomes prohibited.
Then of the three reserved forests mentioned above, the Upper Dehing forest is the only place where illegal tree felling still takes place. If this forest is kept out of Joydehing, the forest is likely to be plundered with renewed vigour by timber smugglers, in connivance with politicians and mandarins. When contacted, Nature’s Beckon director Soumyadeep Datta said his association is concerned at the delay in the notification of the Joydehing wildlife sanctuary. He added that several NGOs would unitedly oppose any move to exclude the Upper Dehing reserved forest from the sanctuary. For the record, Nature’s Beckon initiated the campaign for Joydehing. Last November, the association co-hosted the country’s first-ever Rainforest Festival at Joypur, located near the proposed sanctuary. The NGO has also just completed an extensive wildbird survey in the area. The survey revealed that the Joydehing area is among Asia’s richest woodland bird habitats, as well as being home to several rare and endangered avifauna.