Namdapha National Park
Encyclopedia
Namdapha National Park is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya
biodiversity hotspot
and is located in Arunachal Pradesh
in Northeast India. It is also the largest national park in India in terms of area. It is located in the Eastern Himalayan sub-region
and is recognized as one of the richest areas in biodiversity in India. The park harbours the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforest
s in the world at 27°N latitude. The area is also known for extensive Dipterocarp forests.
. It spans an area of 1985 km2 with 177 km2 in buffer zone and 1808 km2 in the core area. The park is located between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai
range with a wide altitudinal range between 200 m asl and 4571 m asl. The area falls under both the Palearctic
and Indo Malayan
biogeographic areas resulting in a diverse species assemblage. The habitat changes with increasing altitude from sub-tropical broadleaved forests to subtropical pine forests, temperate broadleaved forests and at the higher elevations, to alpine meadows and perennial snow. The park has extensive bamboo and secondary forests in addition to the primary forests.
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Sapria himalayana
and Balanophora are root parasites related to Rafflesia
recorded from the area.
The floristic diversity of Namdapha is as follows:
Values in parentheses are percentage of total number.
s, clouded leopard
s, common leopard
s and tiger
s. Other large predators are dhole
s, wolves, and Asiatic black bear
s. Smaller carnivores include red panda
, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, Oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang
, binturong
, common palm civet, small indian civet, large indian civet, masked palm civet, marbled cat, fishing cat, Asiatic golden cat, and two species of mongoose. Large herbivores are represented by elephants wild boar, forest musk deer, indian muntjac
, hog deer
, sambar
, gaur
, common goral, mainland serow, takin
and bharal
. Seven species of non-human primate
s including Stump-tailed macaque
and Slow Loris
, Hoolock Gibbon
s, Capped Langur
s, Assamese Macaques and Rhesus Macaque
s.
s, fulvetta
s, shrike babblers and scimitar babbler
s. The Snowythroated Babbler is a rare species of Babbler
found only in the Patkai
and Mishmi
hills and nearby areas in Northern Myanmar, is found in Namdapha. Other rare, restricted range or globally endangered species include the Rufous-necked Hornbill
, Green Cochoa
, Purple Cochoa
, Beautiful Nuthatch
, Ward's Trogon
, Ruddy Kingfisher
, Blue-eared Kingfisher
, Whitetailed fish eagle, Eurasian Hobby
, Pied Falconet
, White-winged Wood Duck
, Himalayan Wood-owl, Rufous-throated Hill-partridge, and Whitecheeked hill partridge. Several leaf warblers and migrants such as Amur Falcon
and several Thrush
es can be seen here. The first mid-winter waterfowl census in Namdapha was conducted in 1994 when species such as the White-bellied Heron
, a Critically Endangared bird was recorded for the first time.
tribal people within the park. Most of the Lisus are, however, located beyond the eastern border of the park towards the international border of India with Myanmar. There are also Chakma
, Tangsa
and Singpho
settlements around the park.
Eastern Himalaya
Eastern Himalaya is situated between Central Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east, occupying southeast Tibet in China, Sikkim, North Bengal, Bhutan and North-East India. The area has been declared a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International....
biodiversity hotspot
Biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” , revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in...
and is located in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
in Northeast India. It is also the largest national park in India in terms of area. It is located in the Eastern Himalayan sub-region
Eastern Himalaya
Eastern Himalaya is situated between Central Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east, occupying southeast Tibet in China, Sikkim, North Bengal, Bhutan and North-East India. The area has been declared a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International....
and is recognized as one of the richest areas in biodiversity in India. The park harbours the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s in the world at 27°N latitude. The area is also known for extensive Dipterocarp forests.
Geography
The park is located in Changlang district of the Northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, near its border with MyanmarMyanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
. It spans an area of 1985 km2 with 177 km2 in buffer zone and 1808 km2 in the core area. The park is located between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai
Patkai
The Pat-kai meaning to Cut Chicken in Tai Ahom language are the hills on India's North Eastern border with Burma. They were created by the same tectonic processes that resulted in the formation of the Himalayain the Mesozoic . They are not as rugged as the Himalayas and its peaks are much lower...
range with a wide altitudinal range between 200 m asl and 4571 m asl. The area falls under both the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
and Indo Malayan
Indomalaya
The Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight ecozones that cover the planet's land surface. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia....
biogeographic areas resulting in a diverse species assemblage. The habitat changes with increasing altitude from sub-tropical broadleaved forests to subtropical pine forests, temperate broadleaved forests and at the higher elevations, to alpine meadows and perennial snow. The park has extensive bamboo and secondary forests in addition to the primary forests.
Flora
Sapria himalayana
Sapria himalayana is a rare holoparasitic flowering plant related to Rafflesia found in the Eastern Himalayas. Sapria himalayana represents the extreme manifestation of the parasitic mode, being completely dependent on its host plant for water, nutrients and products of photosynthesis which it...
and Balanophora are root parasites related to Rafflesia
Rafflesia
Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It contains approximately 28 species , all found in southeastern Asia, on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand and the Philippines.Rafflesia was found in the Indonesian rain forest by an Indonesian guide working for Dr...
recorded from the area.
The floristic diversity of Namdapha is as follows:
| Category (total no.) | Dicots | Monocots | Lichens | Bryophytes | Pteridophytes | Gymnosperms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Families (21225) | 119 (55.35) | 19 (8.84) | 17 (7.90) | 21 (9.77) | 36 (16.74) | 3 (1.4) |
| Genera (639) | 403 (63) | 111 (17.37) | 34 (5.32) | 33 (5.16) | 54 (8.45) | 4 (0.63) |
| Species (11192222) | 674 (60.25) | 196 (17.5) | 73 (6.53) | 59 (5.27) | 112 (10) | 5 (0.66) |
Mammals
Because of many different vegetation zones, the park is home to a great diversity of mammal species. Four big cat species occurre in the park: snow leopardSnow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
s, clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
s, common leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s and tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s. Other large predators are dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s, wolves, and Asiatic black bear
Asiatic Black Bear
The Asian black bear , also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan...
s. Smaller carnivores include red panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, Oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang
Spotted Linsang
The Spotted Linsang is a linsang found in the forests of the central and eastern Himalaya. It is short, light coloured terrestrial mammal, with a slender body, a pointed head and small limbs. It stalks its prey by crawling on its belly, when it is often mistaken for a python or other heavy-built,...
, binturong
Binturong
The Binturong , also known as the Asian Bearcat, the Palawan Bearcat, or simply the Bearcat, is a species of the family Viverridae, which includes the civets and genets. It is the only member of its genus...
, common palm civet, small indian civet, large indian civet, masked palm civet, marbled cat, fishing cat, Asiatic golden cat, and two species of mongoose. Large herbivores are represented by elephants wild boar, forest musk deer, indian muntjac
Indian Muntjac
The Common Muntjac , also called the Red Muntjac, Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small...
, hog deer
Hog Deer
The Hog Deer is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland southeast Asia...
, sambar
Sambar
Sambar may refer to:*Sambar , a kind of deer*Sambar , a lentil-based dish common in South India and Sri Lanka*Sambhar, Rajasthan, a city and a municipality in Rajasthan, India**Sambhar Salt Lake, a lake in Rajasthan...
, gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, common goral, mainland serow, takin
Takin
The Takin , also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a goat-antelope found in the Eastern Himalayas. There are four subspecies: B. taxicolor taxicolor, the Mishmi Takin; B. taxicolor bedfordi, the Shanxi or Golden Takin; B. taxicolor tibetana, the Tibetan or Sichuan Takin; and B. taxicolor...
and bharal
Bharal
The bharal or Himalayan blue sheep or naur, Pseudois nayaur, is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan...
. Seven species of non-human primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s including Stump-tailed macaque
Stump-tailed Macaque
The stump-tailed macaque , also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque found in Southern Asia. In India, it is found in south of the Brahmaputra river, in northeastern part of the country.Its range in India extends from Assam and Meghalaya to eastern Aruanchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur,...
and Slow Loris
Slow loris
Slow lorises are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates which make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in South and Southeast Asia, they range from Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south...
, Hoolock Gibbon
Hoolock gibbon
The hoolock gibbons , also known as hoolocks, are two primate species from the family of the gibbons .Hoolocks are the second largest of the gibbons, after the Siamang. They reach a size of 60 to 90 cm and weigh 6 to 9 kg...
s, Capped Langur
Capped Langur
The capped langur is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, India, and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests...
s, Assamese Macaques and Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
s.
Birds
Among the earlier papers on the birds of Namdapha was published in 1990. The park has about 425 bird species with many more to be recorded from work in the higher areas. There are five species of Hornbills recorded from the area. Several species of rare wren-babblers have been recorded in Namdapha. Other bird groups include laughing thrushes, parrotbillParrotbill
The parrotbills are a group of peculiar birds native to East and Southeast Asia, though feral populations are known from elsewhere. They are generally small, long-tailed birds which inhabit reedbeds and similar habitat. They feed mainly on seeds, e.g. of grasses, to which their bill, as the name...
s, fulvetta
Fulvetta
Fulvetta is a songbird genus. Originally proposed in 1877, it was recently reestablished for the typical fulvettas, which were long included with their presumed relatives in the Timaliidae genus Alcippe...
s, shrike babblers and scimitar babbler
Scimitar babbler
The scimitar-babblers are birds in the genera Pomatorhinus, Xiphirhynchus and Jabouilleia of the large Old World babbler family of passerines. These are birds of tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in hills of the Himalayas.Scimitar-babblers are rangy, medium-sized,...
s. The Snowythroated Babbler is a rare species of Babbler
Old World babbler
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
found only in the Patkai
Patkai
The Pat-kai meaning to Cut Chicken in Tai Ahom language are the hills on India's North Eastern border with Burma. They were created by the same tectonic processes that resulted in the formation of the Himalayain the Mesozoic . They are not as rugged as the Himalayas and its peaks are much lower...
and Mishmi
Mishmi
The Mishmi or Deng people of Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh are an ethnic group comprising mainly three tribes: Idu Mishmi ; Digaro Mishmi , and Miju Mishmi . The Mishmis occupy the north-eastern tip of the central Arunachal Pradesh/South Tibet in Upper and Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit and Anjaw...
hills and nearby areas in Northern Myanmar, is found in Namdapha. Other rare, restricted range or globally endangered species include the Rufous-necked Hornbill
Rufous-necked Hornbill
The Rufous-necked Hornbill is a species of hornbill found in broadleaved forests at altitudes of in Bhutan, north-eastern India, Burma, southern Yunnan, south-eastern Tibet, northern and western Thailand, northern Laos and northern Vietnam. Numbers have declined significantly due to habitat loss...
, Green Cochoa
Green Cochoa
The Green Cochoa is a bird species which was variously placed with the thrushes of family Turdidae or the related Muscicapidae . Presently, it is considered closer to the former.-Description:...
, Purple Cochoa
Purple Cochoa
The Purple Cochoa is a brightly coloured bird found in the temperate forests of Asia. It is a quiet and elusive bird species that has been considered to be related to the thrushes of family Turdidae or the related Muscicapidae...
, Beautiful Nuthatch
Beautiful Nuthatch
The Beautiful Nuthatch is one of the rarest nuthatches on Earth. It occurs in north east India and neighbouring regions, with odd records across to Thailand, where it may be a winter visitor or resident....
, Ward's Trogon
Ward's Trogon
The Ward's Trogon is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family.It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Vietnam.Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher
The Ruddy Kingfisher is a medium-sized tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in east and southeast Asia, ranging from South Korea and Japan in the north, south through the Philippines to the Sunda Islands, and west to China and India. It is migratory, with birds in the northern part of the...
, Blue-eared Kingfisher
Blue-eared Kingfisher
The Blue-eared Kingfisher, Alcedo meninting, is found in south and southeast Asia. This is a small kingfisher almost identical to the Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis...
, Whitetailed fish eagle, Eurasian Hobby
Eurasian Hobby
The Eurasian Hobby , or just simply Hobby, is a small slim falcon. It belongs to a rather close-knit group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis.-Description:...
, Pied Falconet
Pied Falconet
The Pied Falconet, Fauconnet Noir-et-blanc, or Falconete Pío is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, and Vietnam....
, White-winged Wood Duck
White-winged Wood Duck
The White-winged Duck or White-winged Wood Duck is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus Cairina and allied with the dabbling ducks...
, Himalayan Wood-owl, Rufous-throated Hill-partridge, and Whitecheeked hill partridge. Several leaf warblers and migrants such as Amur Falcon
Amur Falcon
The Amur Falcon , formerly Eastern Red-footed Falcon, is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China, wintering in Southern Africa...
and several Thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
es can be seen here. The first mid-winter waterfowl census in Namdapha was conducted in 1994 when species such as the White-bellied Heron
White-bellied Heron
The White-bellied Heron is a species of large heron found in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in India, northeastern Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan. Records in the past have been from Nepal. It is mostly all dark grey with white throat and underparts. This heron is mostly solitary and is found...
, a Critically Endangared bird was recorded for the first time.
Ethnography
There are a few settlements of LisuLisu
The Lisu people are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who inhabit the mountainous regions of Burma , Southwest China, Thailand, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh....
tribal people within the park. Most of the Lisus are, however, located beyond the eastern border of the park towards the international border of India with Myanmar. There are also Chakma
Chakma people
The Chakmas , also known as the Changhma , are a community that inhabits the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the North-East India. The Chakmas are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, making up more than half the tribal population. Chakmas are divided into 46 clans or...
, Tangsa
Tangsa
The Tangsa, termed Tangshang in Myanmar , is a community of several tens of thousands living in Changlang and Tirap Districts of Arunachal Pradesh,and parts of Tinsukia District of Assam, in north-eastern India, and across the border in Sagaing Region, Myanmar . The Tangshang in Myanmar were...
and Singpho
Singpho
The Singpho people of Arunachal Pradesh inhabit in the district of Lohit and Changlang and the Kachin State of Burma. Some are also found in the Tinsukia district of Assam. Comprising a population of at least 7,200 in India, they live in 13 villages, namely Bordumsa, Dibang, Ketetong, Pangna, Ulup,...
settlements around the park.