D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary: Tiger Seen After 20 Years
Why in the news
Camera traps inside the D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh photographed a tiger, the first such record in close to twenty years. As an apex predator and umbrella species, the tiger signals the overall health of the ecosystem.
Key facts
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | East Siang district of Arunachal; close to Pasighat; entry through the Anchalghat and Borguli ranges |
| Area | 190 sq. km |
| Established | 1978 |
| River | Siang, a tributary of the Brahmaputra |
| Habitat | Riverine island system crossed by roughly 100 km of river channels |
| Vegetation | 75-80% alluvial grasslands; rest riverine forest with bamboo and secondary woodland |
| Altitude | 135 m to 140 m above mean sea level, low for the state |
- Named after: Daying Ering, a one-time Union Minister who chaired the Ering Commission (1965), which shaped Panchayati Raj thinking in the then NEFA.
- Mammals: the tiger shares the area with the endangered hispid hare, Chinese pangolins, Asiatic buffaloes, Asian elephants and leopards.
- Aquatic: Gangetic dolphin.
- Birds: migratory Bengal Florican, black-breasted parrotbill and several babblers, so a prime birdwatching spot.
Significance
- Return of a top predator suggests a healthy prey base and improving habitat.
- Arunachal and the North-East fall in the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot with large unexplored habitat.
- Adds to the national tiger revival effort led by Project Tiger and the International Big Cat Alliance.
Background
- Wildlife sanctuary: a protected area notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Section 26A); limited grazing or tribal rights can continue.
- Protected area types: National Parks (Section 35, strictest), Wildlife Sanctuaries (26A), Conservation Reserves (36A, government-owned, with local participation), Community Reserves (36C, private or community land).
- Project Tiger: started 1973 from Jim Corbett National Park; run with the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
- Gangetic dolphin: national aquatic animal, found in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna systems, Endangered and a bio-indicator of river health.
- Bengal Florican: Critically Endangered grassland bird needing tall alluvial grasslands.
- Hispid hare: also called Assam rabbit or bristly rabbit; Endangered, lives in tall alluvial grasslands.
Exam angle
- Sanctuary: D’Ering Memorial, East Siang, 190 sq. km, 1978.
- Namesake: Daying Ering, Ering Commission.
- Species list: hispid hare, Gangetic dolphin, Bengal Florican.
- Legal hook: Section 26A (sanctuary) versus Section 35 (national park).