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TransboundaryManasConservationArea(TraMCA)Bhutan&India

SonamWangdi sonamwangdi80@gmail.com+975-1711-0006http://www.wwfbhutan.org.bt/?208849/A-step-closer-to-securing-TRAMCABhutanandIndiaSize:6,500sq.km

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Participantsincoordinatingtheongoingtransboundarycooperation:NationalGovernment:

• RoyalGovernmentofBhutanProtectedareaadministration:

• RoyalManasNationalPark• ManasNationalPark• PhibsooWildlifeSanctuary• JomotsangkhaWildlifeSanctuary

InternationalNGOs:• WWFBhutan• WWFIndia

LocalNGOs:• Aaranyak(India)

Objectives:TheTransboundaryManasConservationArea(TraMCA)conceptualizedin2011formsanimportantprioritytransboundarylandscapeundertheLivingHimalayasInitiative.TraMCAwithanareaofover6500sq.kmisoneofthethreetransboundarylandscapesacrosstheEasternHimalayasthatconnectBhutanwithNorthEastIndia.TheothertwoareTeraiArcLandscapeconnectingIndiaandNepalandKanchenjungaConservationLandscapecoveringBhutan,IndiaandNepal.TraMCAisaregionofhighbiodiversitythatextendsalongsouth-easternBhutanandnortheasternIndia.Thelandscapeharborstwoofthefoureco-regionsintheEasternHimalayas-undertheWWFGlobal200ecoregions-whichareTerai-DuarSavannasandGrasslands,andtheEasternHimalayanbroadleafandconiferforest.TheIndianManasTigerReserveandBhutan’sRoyalManasNationalParkformthecoreofthistransboundaryspacethatishometoflagshipspeciesliketigers,elephantsandrhinos.Theareaisalsohometomorethan1,500otherspeciesofmammals,birdsandvascularplants.Valuesandimportance:TraMCAisaregionofhighbiodiversityandthelandscapeformsavitalmosaicofconservationspacesacrosstheEasternHimalayas.TheIndianManasTigerReserveandBhutan’sRoyalManasNationalParkformthecoreofthistransboundaryspacethatishometoflagshipspeciesliketigers,elephants,rhinos,pygmyhog,BengalFlorican,hispidhareandmorethan1500otherspeciesofmammals,birdsandvascularplants.ThisspaceisalsoequallyrichwithdiverseculturesandtraditionsofindigenouscommunitiesthatlivebothonBhutanandIndiansideofthistransboundarylandscapes.Thislandscapeprovidesvaluableecosystemservicestobothpeopleandwildlife;theManasRiverthatoriginatesfromBhutanisalifelineforthislandscape.Aspectsoftransboundarycooperation:TheTraMCAconstitutesanintegralcomponentofoneoftheglobalprioritytigerconservationlandscapes(TCL#37:NorthernForestComplex-Namdapha-RoyalManas)forsecuringtigermetapopulationforlongtermtigerconservation.OneofthemajorachievementthroughinstitutionalizationofTraMCAhas

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beenthejointmonitoringoftigerpopulationinitiatedsince2010betweenBhutan’sRoyalManasNationalParkandIndianManasNationalPark.Twojointmonitoringhasresultedintheidentificationof21tigerswithinanareaof560sq.km,11tigersfromRoyalManasNationalParkand14tigersfromManasNationalParkofwhich4tigerswerefoundtobecommoninthislandscape.Likewise,fromtheendof2016,jointmonitoringofAsianElephants,anotherimportantspeciesinthistransboundarylandscapewillbeinitiatedtomeetthebiggergoalofconservingthelandscapewithitsbiodiversity.

Stageintheprocess:TraMCAwasconceptualizedin2011withthesupportofWWF,butevenbeforethisconceptoflandscapelevelconservationinitiative,thetwopark,viz.RoyalManasNationalParkandManasNationalParkusedtoconveneannualcoordinationmeetingsfortransboundarycooperation.TraMCAfunctionswithawrittenLetterofAgreementbetweentheDepartmentofForestsandparkServicesoftheRoyalGovernmentofBhutanandtheBodolandTerritorialCouncil.WiththisLoAdrawn,theareaofcooperationhasextendedtobiggerareasonbothsidesofBhutanandIndia.FromRoyalManasNationalPark,itextendedtoPhibsooWildlifeSanctuary,JomotsangkhaWildlifeSanctuaryandSarpangForestDivision.OntheIndianside,itextendstoRipuChirangReservedForestinthewesttoManasNationalParkincentralAssamtoKhalingduarReservedForestsinEasternAssam.CurrentlyTraMCAfunctionsunderajointlydevelopedandagreedactionplanobjectives.OfficialProtectedAreaDesignation:TraMCAcoversRoyalManasNationalPark,PhibsooWildlifeSanctuary,JomotsangkhaWildlifeSanctuary,SarpangForestDivisionandSamdrupJongkharForestDivisiononBhutanside.Eachofthisprotectedareasareinterconnectedbythebiologicalcorridors.OntheIndianside,itcoversManasNationalPark,aUNESCOWorldHeritageSite,RipuChirangReservedForestsandKhalingduarReservedForeststhatextendsfromWesterntoEasternAssamStateofIndia.TheCatalyst:Twoofthefoureco-regionsofEasternHimalayasundertheWWFGlobal200EcoregionsarefoundinTraMCA.ThisincludestheTerai-DuarSavannahsandGrasslandsandtheEasternHimalayanbroadleafandconiferforests.DuetothemilitantagitationinAssamdemandingaseparatestateforBodoland,therewasseverenegativeimpactinthefieldofconservation.Itwasduringthisperiodofagitation,theonehornedIndianRhinoswerecompletelywipedoutfromManasNationalPark.ThisimpactofpoachingwasfeltevenontheRoyalManasNationalPark.ThissituationdemandedajointeffortofbothcountrieswhichmadewaytotheannualtransboundarycooperationmeetingsbetweentheparkauthoritiesoftwoManasthatlatergavebirthtothisconceptofTraMCA.History:Speciesandecosystemdonotfollowpoliticalboundarieswhichisagloballyacceptedconservationfact.Effectivemanagementoftransboundaryhabitatsandprotectionofspeciesthereinrequireintegratedhabitatsandapproachthatcatersforbetterecosystemintegrityandstability.Itwaswiththisconservationfactandneedsthatgavebirthtothisconceptin2011foralargertransboundaryspacethatconnectsprotectedareas,biologicalcorridorsandadjoiningreservedforestsofsouth-easternBhutanwiththatofnorth-easternBhutanwiththatofnorth-easternIndia.Itwasthepoliticalwillingnessofbothgovernmentandtheeffortsmadebylocalparkandforestauthoritiesthatenabledthis

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initiativetobecomeoneofthegreattransboundaryconservationmodelsinthesoutheastAsia.Barriers,challenges,obstacles,orconstraints:TraMCA,whileitcanbealandscapelevelconservationmodel,italsofacesgrowingthreatsandpressureslinkedtoincreaseinpopulationanddevelopmentactivities.TheporousborderbetweenBhutanandIndiaalsomakestheareahighlysusceptibletothepoachingofwildlifeandforestresources.Theimpactsofclimatechange,whicharealreadyvisibleintheformoferraticweatherpatterns,occurrenceofnaturaldisasterslikefloodandlandslidesanddryingupofwatersourceswouldfurtherimpactthisinitiative.Thethreats/issuesidentifiedare:

1. Habitatloss,fragmentationanddegradation2. Lossanddeclineofwildlifepopulations3. Humanwildlifeconflicts4. Mechanismstoconvertpoliticalwillingnessintoactions

Keyobjectivesdevelopedforaddressingtheseissuesare:

1. By2020haltallwildlifehabitatlossanddegradationinTraMCA2. By2020wildpopulationsofpriorityspeciesarestableandgrowingacrossTraMCA3. By2018,haveeffectivemanagementsystemsinplacetoreducehumanwildlife

conflicts4. By2017,LocalandStateGovernmentsbuyintheTraMCAvisionandformally

endorsetheTraMCAactionplanandMoU.

TheGovernanceandManagementStructures

● Cooperativerelationship:TraMCAcooperationfunctionsunderaformalletterofagreementsignedbyDepartmentofForestsandParkServicesandtheChiefofBodolandTerritorialCouncilofAssamState.

● Legalbasisforcooperation:

● Governancestructure:TheofficialrepresentationofTraMCAfrombothsidesare

thatofgovernmentstaffofparkandforestauthoritiesofRoyalGovernmentofBhutanandIndia.AdditionallyconservationNGOssuchasAaranyakandWWFIndiaandBhutanalsoplayakeyroleinthestructure.

● Cooperativemanagementarrangement:ThecurrentcooperativemanagementarrangementfunctionswithanagreedActionPlanunderwhichjointmonitoringofspeciesviz.Tigerhasbeencarriedoutthroughcameratrappingsurvey.

Results:Thisuniquelandscaperepresentssignificanthabitatdiversityrangingfromtrppicalgrasslandandwetlands,tropicalsemievergreenforests,subtropicalbroad-leavedforestswithanaltitudinalrangeof97-2700masl.Thislandscapetohometotwoendemicandgloballythreatenedspecies,viz.GoldenlangurandPygmyHog.Thelandscapefurther

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representssomeofthelastremaininghabitatsofTiger,CloudedLeopard,Asianelephants,greaterone-hornedrhinoceros,Bengalfloricanandmanyothersignificantspecies.Duringthe1980-early2000duetotheBodolandagitationintheIndianstateofAssam,therewasasignificantnegativeimpacttosomeofthealreadyendangeredspeciesliketigers,elephantsandrhinosasaresultofillegalwildlifetrade.ButwiththecreationofBodolandTerritorialAreasDistrictsin2003,thislandscapeslowlystartedtoreboundtoitsformerglory.Listedas“HeritageinDanger”duringthattimetheManasNationalParkisnowremovedfromthistagandin2011theUNESCOWorldHeritageCenterinParis(WHC-11/35.COM/8E.2011)acknowledgedthesignificanceofManasLandscapeasasingleTransboundaryenity.LessonsLearned:Inthefaceofincreasingwildlifetrade,habitatlossandhumanwildlifeconflict,continuityofjointconservationeffortsisofparamountimportanceasinformedconservationinterventionsbasedonsoundecologicalknowledgeshallhelpenhancemanagementcapabilitiesandgaugetheefficacyofconservationactions.Further,wildlifeenforcementandspeciesprotectionwillonlybesuccessfulifeffortsaremadejointlytostopillegalkillingatthesiteandifthisisnotsuccessful,curingofillegalwildlifetradewillonlybepossibleofinformationissharedinstantlyacrossbordersthroughsuchtransboundaryinitiatives.IhavealsolearntthroughtheexperiencesofparkauthoritiesofRoyalManasNationalParkandManasNationalParkthatkeytosuccessofsuchtransboundaryinitiativesisthewillingnessandfriendlycooperationatpersonalleveloffieldimplementers.

ForMoreInformationName Title Organization Email Phone

PhurbaLhendup

ConservationDirector

WWF-BhutanProgram

plhendup@wwfbhutan.org.bt +975-17625770

TenzinWangchuk

ParkManager

RoyalManasNationalPark

twang608@yahoo.com +975-17677160