GUWAHATI:
After witnessing a low footfall of tourists for long years, Borail Wildlife Sanctuary is set to be a tourism hotspot for many nature lovers this winter season due to a number of initiatives taken up by the state forest department for increase of tourist flow to this unique wildlife sanctuary.
Located at the southern part of Assam’s Barak Valley, Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, despite being a wonderful bio diversity spot, has failed to draw the attention of the foreign and domestic tourists in the last years.
“Borail is geologically very unique. The Himalayan mountain range was formed as a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate. But the Borail range was created due to the collision of three plates- Indian plate, Eurasian plate and Malaysian plate. It’s the tri-junction of three tectonic plates. Such tri-junctions are very unique,” said Tejas Mariswamy, Divisional Forest officer (DFO), Cachar Forest Division.
“Where there is a tri-junction of three different tectonic plates, all the tectonic areas have different biodiversity. So there is a mix of various biodiversity here. Borail range is very high-diversity ,” Mariswamy said.
However, despite being a high diversity range, the footfall of tourists to this wildlife Sanctuary was low in the last years.
“Even there are some unexplored species here. This is a very young forest. However, Borail is not so much attracted to tourists because it does not have mega mammals. It does not have elephants, tigers and other species of wild animals which can draw attention to the tourists,” Mariswamy said.
“It’s a hilly terrain, accessibility is an issue. There are wild cats too. Therefore Borail does not attract the attention of the people,” he also said.
The Barail wildlife sanctuary is home to seven primates, five of which are vulnerable, meaning their populations have fallen globally, and two are an endangered species (i.e., Hoolock gibbon and Bengal Slow Loris).
Capped langur ( Trachypithecus pileatus) is one of the five vulnerable species and one among the seven primates of BWS.
The BWS comprises around 326.24 sq km. Owing to its diverse fauna and vegetation, this sanctuary has drawn the attention of naturalists for a long time. The area comprises 14 Reserve Forests, out of which Barail Reserve forest and North Cachar Reserve forests have been converted into BWS in 2004.
“In terms of primate density, Borail has the highest number of species in the country. Landscape is so beautiful. The Borail landscape is much better for tourists,” he said.
With their field experiences in conservation of forest and wildlife, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) P Sivakumar and the DFO Tejas Mariswamy are now planning to transform this wonderful land into a tourism hotspot.
In their conservation efforts of forest and wildlife, the forest department is setting up a unique ec0-tourism project at Indra Nagar, a village in the outskirts of the reserve forest with the help of local residents.
“Firstly, we want to conserve the area with the help of local people. People are dependent on forest for livelihood. If we can give a mechanism where they can generate livelihood without affecting the forest, they will feel that they will be part of the forest department. They will try to be partners of the forest department to protest the forest area,” Mariswamy said.
Ecotourism is tourism which is conducted responsibly to conserve the environment and sustain the well-being of local people. Its benefits include: building environmental awareness, providing direct financial benefits for conservation, providing financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
“One of the most important aspects is eco- tourism. We are involving local people. We are helping to improve the infrastructure. Entire facility will be won by the local villagers. The entire revenue will go to the villagers,” he said.
“Current we are working in one village. If we succeed automatically, others will start. We are having camps, tents, and three cottages. We are also sending the villagers for training to deal with the tourists.
Camping can serve as a form of travel for travel lovers which are unable to visit destinations afar. In addition to nature camping, there are other options such as eco cottages or ‘glamping’ options which will be found here. Camping is not difficult and does not require a big investment. It is simply a great way to enjoy nature and sustainable activity.
“It is not only a stay but there are a lot of activities there. People will come, they will go for a track, for a nature walk, there is also a river,” he added.
The first-ever eco-tourism project in the Borail range is nearing completion and will be inaugurated soon.
“We are facilitating one such village for the time being who could pick up the benefit and it would help the industry grow,” he said.
He further stressed eco camps that could play a vital role to uplift the sector in Borail belt.
In addition to this, the forest department is also planning to go for a massive plantation of 25 lakh saplings in 3,000 hectares of degraded forest land within the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary from April, next.
We are planning to plant 25 lakh saplings in the wildlife sanctuary from April. We have set up 10 nurseries, each having 2.5 lakh seedlings. Some exotic species of trees including, only indigenous and endemic species will be planted in forest areas,” said P Sivakumar, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Southern Assam Circle, Silchar.
Hundreds of forest workers are working towards the noble cause of planting trees and conserving nature.
“Initially, we will start planting in 400 hectares of land and it will be extended to other parts of degraded land,” Sivakumar added.
According to a study, there are 112 species of trees belonging to 86 genera and 43 families, and 23 species of lianas in 17 genera and 13 families are found in Borail Wildlife Sanctuary.
This initiative of Sivakumar and Mariswami is taken at a time when climate change has resulted in disrupted biodiversity, much to a major setback for the state’s tourism sector that fetched a considerable chunk of revenue in the last two years. A disturbed bio diversity has hampered tourist footfall in the state.