Remote bio-diversity reserve beckons tourists

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090520/jsp/northeast/story_10987560.jsp The Telegraph Remote bio-diversity reserve beckons tourists OUR CORRESPONDENT

May 19: The dedicated efforts of a wildlife conservation group are paying dual dividends — in transforming a remote bio-diversity reserve in lower Assam into a tourist hotspot, slowly but surely and helping villagers sustain their livelihood.

Ultapani — a bio-diversity reserve located along the Bhutan foothills in Chirang district under BTAD — is gradually turning into a tourist hub. Thanks to the work done by the Ultapani Bio-diversity Conservation Society apart from its unique natural beauty and habitat of many a rare and endangered avi-fauna and flora, the reserve today has caught the attention of the naturalists and tourists.

Kanak Narzary, the secretary of the conservation society, said of late, people living in and around the periphery of the Ultapani and Labanyapur have understood the loss of natural resources and if it continues in the future, then nothing would be left to sustain their livelihood.

“We are trying to save this unique place of nature to showcase the beauty and habitat of several rare animals and plants which would attract people to visit this site and this would in turn economically benefit the villagers,” Narzary said.

“Though there is a shortage of tourist amenities, members of the conservation society are now providing accommodation in their traditional huts and also in the Ultapani inspection bungalow. They also act as guides to the tourists and help out everything to get all those facilities which the domestic tourists require,” Narzary said.

The area is located under the Chirang Reserve Forest surrounded by Manas National Park on the east and Ripu Reserve Forest on the west while the lofty hills of Bhutan greet on the northern side.

Niraj Sarkar of Nature’s Foster, an NGO of Bongaigaon district, said Ultapani had enough potential to be developed into a tourist hotspot in lower Assam.

“In view of the growing campaign by the activists of the society, the BTAD administration has taken up infrastructure development, including remodelling of the inspection bungalow, into a tourist guest house to promote this site as a tourist destination,” Sarkar added.

From Bongaigaon, it is a two-and half-hour journey and it is 24km from Bishmuri village by National Highway 31 in Chirang district. Ultapani is covered with tropical semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist and dry deciduous forests and alluvia grasslands which provide shelter to many a wild animal, including big cats like tiger (panthara tigris) and leopard (panthara pardus) and elephant (elephas maximus).

Besides these, one can see some rare birds like pied hornbill, wreathed hornbill, nightjars, tragopans, falcons, peafowls, partridges, vultures, doves and minuets. In the two forest villages — Ultapani and Labanyapur — the activists have been campaigning to save the forest to save the habitat of avi-fauna and flora.

Nature clubs of lower Assam districts also organise camps to educate and create awareness among the youths on the environment in Ultapani.