Manas National Park is making a last ditch attempt to regain its World Heritage site tag after stumbling again and again in the effort to win back the coveted status. The Park, which continues to languish in the World Heritage site-in-danger list since 1992 following a protracted violent local agitation in 1989, was included in the list in 1985.

The move comes in the wake of the Park once again failing to make it to the coveted list at Quebec in July last year. Delhi has now sought the help of Bhutan for its preservation. The Centre has informed the World Heritage Committee that the initiative would include setting up a transborder cooperation programme – a necessity for the survival of several of the larger mammals found in the Park. As tigers and elephants need wide ranges to survive, the inclusion of additional undisturbed habitat and their connectivity through ecological corridors have become important for long-term conservation of the Park and to get it listed as a World Heritage site.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, A. Swargiari, field director of the Park, said, “Having a transboundary cooperation programme will benefit both sides as we have contiguous area.”

He said though there is a working relationship with Royal Manas National Park falling in the Himalayan Kingdom, it needs to be transformed in the form of a protocol. “This transborder programme is a step in that direction,” he said.

Spelling out the initiatives taken in recent times to restore the pristine glory of Manas, Swargiari said, “We are now making every bid to win back the World Heritage site tag by conforming to the conditions laid down by the monitoring mission.”

Swargiari exuded confidence that the Park would get the World Heritage site tag as the high-level monitoring committee that visited the Park to review its status a couple of months back was satisfied with the slew of measures initiated in the past one and a half year towards conservation of the universal values for which Manas was once inscribed on the World Heritage list.

What has been often touted as the biggest conservation success story is the translocation of two rhinos from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to the Bansbari range of Manas National Park in April last year. The translocation was done under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020, in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund, India and supported by International Rhino Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “Translocating of two rhinos is a big conservation success story that will show its results only in the future. Forest guards are keeping a close watch on their activities, more so after the incident when a male rhino strayed out of the Park in September last year. It was brought back to its natural habitat after 14 days of tracking by a rescue team of about 150 men,” said the field director.

As part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 programme, at least 30 to 40 rhinos are to be translocated to Manas National Park from Kaziranga and Pobitora, where the density of rhinos is very high. The initiative aims to achieve a targeted population of 3,000 rhinos in seven protected areas of Assam by 2020.

Swargiari said the road network of the Park is being restored in order to enable visitors to move deeper into the Park and enjoy the scenic beauty of the flora and fauna and help forest guards to step up the vigil against poachers.

The strength of forest personnel has gone up. But what is more important is the involvement of the people living in the periphery of the Park (there are 57 villages on the immediate periphery of the core of Manas spread across 500 sq.km.), as well as NGOs in the conservation efforts. One such is the Manas Jungle Camp, a Community Conservation Tourism project at Kokilabari near the eastern core area of the Park, run jointly by Help Tourism and the local conservation NGO Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society. It conducts regular patrolling inside the Park in association with the Forest Department to stop poaching and cattle grazing. This initiative has already received approbation from the UNESCO-World Heritage Commission, and people from all over the world, and is considered as the most positive development towards the revival of Manas.

Says Swargiari, “Conservation will be a far cry if the people are not involved in it. The widespread ignorance and feeling of alienation and hostility towards Manas that once prevailed among the locals following the Bodo agitation in 1989, leading to wanton destruction of forest and killing of forest personnel and wildlife, is slowly, but surely disappearing for good. Today, we have been able to enlist the support of local communities for wildlife conservation through eco-development activities and other programmes. And this augurs well for Manas in the days ahead.”

Situated 176 km north-west of Guwahati, Manas National Park is also a Project Tiger Reserve. Other denizens here are the pygmy hog, hispid hare, golden langur, Bengal florican, Asian elephant, tiger, one-horned rhino, Assam roofed turtle and rat snake. There are 60 species of mammals, 312 species of birds (among which 26 species are globally endangered), 42 species of reptiles, 7 amphibians, 54 species of fishes and 103 species of invertebrates.

It’s also a paradise for birdwatchers, for it has a stunning variety of avian life. The wide variety of terrain, splendid landscapes and sparkling rivers offer adventure sports- lovers a vast choice of activities. Amongst the popular adventure activities are angling, boating, river rafting and trekking. You can also go on a jeep safari, savouring the scenic beauty along with wildlife. You can stay at the forest bungalow at the picturesque Mothanguri, 22 km inside the deep forest.

The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation with riverine succession leading up to Sub-Himalayan mountain forest makes the 2,837 sq.km. reserve one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world.

The main vegetation types are:

• Sub-Himalayan light alluvial semi-evergreen forests in the northern parts.

• East Himalayan mixed moist and dry deciduous forests (the most common type).

• Low alluvial savanna woodland, and

• Assam valley semi-evergreen alluvial grasslands, which cover almost 50% of the Park.

Much of the riverine dry deciduous forest is at an early successional stage. It is replaced by moist deciduous forest away from water courses, which is succeeded by semi-evergreen climax forest in the northern part of the Park.

A total of 543 plants species have been recorded from the core zone. Of these, 374 species are Dicotyledons (including 89 trees), 139 species Monocotyledons and 30 are Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. The Park’s common trees include Aphanamixis polystachya, Anthocephalus, Chinensis, Syzygium cumin, S. formosum, S. oblatum, Bauhinia purpurea, Mallotus philippensis, Cinnamomum tamala, Actinodaphne obvata, Bombax ceiba, Sterculia villosa, Dillenia indica, D. pentagyna, Careya arborea, Lagerstroemia parviflora, L.speciosa, Terminalia bellirica, T. chebula, Trewia polycarpa, Gmelina arborea, Oroxylum indicum and Bridelia spp. The grasslands are dominated by Imperata cylindrica, Saccharum naranga, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax, Dillenia pentagyna, Phyllanthus emblica, Bombax ceiba, and species of Clerodendrum, Leea, Grewia, Premna and Mussaenda.

The area is also a treasure-trove of ethnic diversity and ancient traditions moulded by its geographic setting. The Bodos are the main community of this area, with the other inhabitants being the Assamese, Bengali, Nepali and Adivasi. Living in peaceful co-existence since ages, these simple, hospitable people are still moored to the traditional lifestyles.

Best time to visit: The best season to visit Manas is between October and April.

Accommodation: There are lodges maintained and run by the State Tourism Department at Barpeta Road. Assam Bengal Navigation runs the Bansbari lodge, situated in prime position right at the entrance to the National Park. The comfortably furnished 16 large twin-bedded rooms have attached bathrooms.

The State Forest Department has a bungalow at Mathanguri inside the forest. Visitors have to carry their own food. But there are cooks (provided by the forest department) at the bungalow.

Getting there: Manas is 176 km from Guwahati. The nearest airport is Borjhar airport, Guwahati.

The nearest railhead is Barpeta Road. This station is 136 km from Guwahati.

Manas is well connected with other cities and towns in the State by a road network.

There are regular State Transport buses, as well as those run by private operators.

One can also hire taxis from Guwahati.

Md Sabir Nishat