In December 2011, Sanctuary reported that the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) took up the issue of notification of the Nandhour landscape, lying between the Gola and Sharada rivers in Uttarakhand, and which is a key part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), as a wildlife sanctuary.
This forest landscape extends over about 850 sq. km. and provides prime habitat for megafauna, including the Asian elephant, sloth bear, leopard, and, as indicated by recent camera trapping evidence, at least 10 tigers including a tigress with cubs, plus Himalayan black bear and the elusive serow. The hilly terrain, with good protection, can support a high density of sambar, which will augment tiger numbers.
Additionally, the strategic location of the region as a prime link between the eastern and western Terai landscape, and the presence of vital river systems for irrigation and freshwater supply make Nandhour well worth the notification. Great effort has been taken while choosing the boundaries of the proposed Nandhour Wildlife Sanctuary, so that the existing rights of local communities are not affected by its declaration. (Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXII, No. 5, October 2012).
As reported in The Pioneer, “Considering the tremendous pressure that the Government was facing, at least a beginning has been made; it will be now easier to carry out the extension process in due course," said Dr. Bibhash Pandav, heading the Department of Endangered Species, Wildlife institute of India (WII), who is working in the region. He added that it is at least a much better option than the earlier proposal of getting it declared as a conservation reserve. Read the full report here.
Source: Sanctuary Asia.
