The importance of trans-boundary conservation of the Asiatic Elephant Elephas maximus in Patharia Hills Reserve Forest, northeastern India

The lives of Asiatic Elephants in the Patharia Hills Reserve Forest of Barak Valley, Assam are at risk. Due to serious anthropogenic pressures, human-elephant interactions have increased tremendously during recent decades. It is time conservation of the species is initiated along the Indo-Bangladesh trans-boundary line, especially their habitats and migratory corridor which can help the conservation of elephants and other species as well.

Transformation of Urban Wetlands As An Effect of Urban Development: An Analysis of Deepor Beel in Guwahati, Assam

Deepor Beel is a Ramsar Site and a wetland of great biodiversity, which is situated towards the South-western part of Guwahati. The Rani and Garbhanga Reserved Forests are adjacent to the wetland, which altogether stands as a complete ecosystem providing environmental solutions, food security and different types of biodiversity to the city. The forest serves as an abode to the Northeastern region’s Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus), which is an endangered species. But with various recent urban developments, the wetland and the whole ecosystem has been under threat of diminishing area of the wetland, extinction of biodiversity, as well as transformation of land use pattern of the entire area and its surroundings. The Indian Railways constructed the southern railway track in 2001, an action which gradually divided the Deepor Beel into segments and, thus, affected the wetland in particular and the ecosystem as a whole. Illegal settlements, setting up of factories, construction of highways, etc. have also hampered the wetland in many ways while also posing a threat to the urban areas. This paper shall analyse the various developments affecting the wetland and shall ind strategies to regulate further developments around the wetland.

Threats on Grassland Ecosystem Services: A Case from Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve

Change in ecosystem balance is increasing rapidly by means of humanly devised over and above natural activities to be precise land use change, deforestation, species invasion, and even the lack of sustainable management within and beyond protected area. Invasion of woody perennials and invasive alien species, human intervention together with improper management practices possibly generated substantial impacts on all major ecosystems of Shuklaphanta grassland. To acquire baseline information and understand ecosystem invasion, random line transects of 1000m were taken to get quadrats of 1m2, 25 m2 and 100 m2 in four different habitats within Shuklaphanta grassland. The result showed that the importance value index (IVI) and prominence value (PV) of woody perennials were high coupled with significant PV of invasive species. Ecosystem services change was prevalent in the study area and high possibility to change into forest vegetation. Invasive species, shrubs, and large trees encroachment consequently invited alteration challenge on preferable habitats formed on assemblage of major grass species. The disrupted ecosystem services amplified pressure on both prey and prey base species including swamp deer, antelope, one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic elephant, royal Bengal tiger, Bengal florican and other threatened species. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 2 (2012) 159-166 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i2.7729