In May, 2011, while birding, Bikram Grewal, Bano Haralu and I noticed Illegal tree-felling in primary lowland rainforest at Miao reserve forest (RF) near Namdapha Tiger Reserve. There is serious loss of lowland evergreen forest in Miao RF and other neighbouring RFs as well as inside Namdapha tiger reserve due to encroachments. A private elephant was dragging giant logs down the steep hillside and and deposited logs at a make-shift timber mill.
- Paddy fields occupy the plains due to farming by villagers from Tibetan Refugee (TR)
- Logging in the slopes (seen in the background above)
The Miao Reserve Forest adjacent to Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh is in deep trouble.
Map showing Namdapha National Park and Miao RF.
Loss of lowland evergreen forest in Miao RF pretty evident (brownish patches) in satellite images.
Miao RF is home to 5 species of Hornbills. Lowland forests of Miao RF is one of the last homes of the exceedingly rare Brown Hornbill.
Miao RF has pressure from both ends:
A private elephant was dragging giant logs down the steep hillside…
…and deposited logs at a make-shift timber mill that processed the logs
Brown Hornbills select nests in massive trees – exactly the type targeted for illegal felling
Giant lowland evergreen trees which are key to the habitat were felled in front of our eyes ‘thinning’ the Miao RF at a rapid pace
It is just a matter of time the hornbills stop nesting.
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Chosen as 'Picture of the Week'
Miao RF is primary evergreen forest adjacent to the Namdapha National Park which also has seen extensive illegal encroachments and tree-felling. Home to five species of Hornbills, the preferred massive nesting trees are exactly the type targeted for felling.