Three new deciduous species of Berberis (Berberidaceae) from Tawang and West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Arunachal Pradesh region is one of the richest reservoirs of genetic variability and diversity of different crops i.e. various kinds of fruits, different vegetables, spices, ornamental plants and also medicinal and aromatic plants. The diversity for horticultural crops of this region has mainly been managed by local farmers, often women. Considerable diversity exists among the regional horticultural species including variation in plant type, morphological and physiological characteristics, reactions to diseases and pests, adaptability and distribution. Apart from the nutritional value, many regional horticultural crops are used for medicinal purposes and income generating source in the rural areas. The Arunachal Pradesh of States constitutes the District of West Kameng, Tawang, East siang, East Kameng, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Kurang Kumey, Upper Subansari, West siang, East siang, Upper siang, Dibang valley, Lower Dibang valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Changlang and Tirap. The raining season in this region generally commences from March and lasts till the end of September. Diverse agro–climate condition, fertile soils and abundance of rainfall offer immense scope for development in the horticulture sector. This paper is a humble effort at bringing fort the states of production of the horticultural crops of the Arunachal Pradesh, particularly West Kameng. The exportable surplus and its potentialities is also discus as well as the potential for the National/ International markets is also found out along with the problems of support for export promotion, transport facility etc.

The Arunachal Pradesh region is one of the richest reservoirs of genetic variability and diversity of different crops i.e. various kinds of fruits, different vegetables, spices, ornamental plants and also medicinal and aromatic plants. The diversity for horticultural crops of this region has mainly been managed by local farmers, often women. Considerable diversity exists among the regional horticultural species including variation in plant type, morphological and physiological characteristics, reactions to diseases and pests, adaptability and distribution. Apart from the nutritional value, many regional horticultural crops are used for medicinal purposes and income generating source in the rural areas. The Arunachal Pradesh of States constitutes the District of West Kameng, Tawang, East siang, East Kameng, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Kurang Kumey, Upper Subansari, West siang, East siang, Upper siang, Dibang valley, Lower Dibang valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Changlang and Tirap. The raining season in this region generally commences from March and lasts till the end of September. Diverse agro–climate condition, fertile soils and abundance of rainfall offer immense scope for development in the horticulture sector. This paper is a humble effort at bringing fort the states of production of the horticultural crops of the Arunachal Pradesh, particularly West Kameng. The exportable surplus and its potentialities is also discus as well as the potential for the National/ International markets is also found out along with the problems of support for export promotion, transport facility etc.

Arunachal Pradesh, the 13th geographically largest frontier State of India covering an area of 83,743 sq. km. in hilly terrain of Eastern Himalayas having population of 13,82,611 persons has 3,863 villages, living 77.33% in rural areas and 43% BPL (2011 Census). The territory was called “Terra Incognita” or  No Man’s Land till the beginning of the 20th century. Here, the process of development initiated around thirty years back. Due to absence of private sector unemployment has been rising rapidly.        Monpa is one of the 25 major tribes. They are inhabitant of West Kameng and Tawang districts, Buddhists by religion. Traditional industries occupy a place of fundamental importance in the lives of this tribe although this feature stands equally true for the other tribes of the State too. The present researcher has intimately lived with them for couple of years in fulfilling the mandate of an Industrial Extension Officer. The wonderful carpets, wood carving, mask making, bamboo baskets slung over the forehead of Monpa Women, their stone built houses, the unique atta chakkis (flour mills) operated by water power for grinding wheat, barley and millet into fine flour, bokpoi (millet halwa) made out of it, the hand-made paper manufactured from the bark of sugu tree (dapne botanica), the compost made out of leaves of oak forests (parmong) used as fertilizer makes their agro-produce organic, the medicinal herbs, thankhas (holy scroll painting), red coat made out of best wool, the traditional headgear ( a cap made of black yak’s hair with five long fingers protruding all around), traditional Monpa shoes, intricately carved and beautifully painted vessels are all best testimonies witnessing the relevance of traditional industries in their deeper socio-economic ethos. The Monpas are shrewd, cultured and thrifty by nature which is considered as essential traits of entrepreneurs. Without appropriate interventions these traditional industries may become extinct a day as the contemporary generation are less attracted towards these activities for its commercial gains are not well established and the profession has not acquired a respectful status in the modern system.   The empirical study, therefore, aims to access the present scenario of these brilliant traditional industries, its financial aspects, its relevance in the development process, to seek the problems faced, it’s probable solutions and needed interventions as there is no in depth study on these issues till date under the sub-theme Rural livelihood markets and economies. Review of literature, collection of data from primary and secondary sources, documentations and researcher’s field experience etc. are the key references of the study.___________Â

This study was aimed at exploring tourism resources and Ecotourism behaviour of tourists and local people to provide guidelines for Ecotourism development of Eaglesnest, West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh. Tourists were selected by applying the method of convenience sampling, wherein, local people were interviewed in depth to gather local information. Results of the research showed that Eaglesnest had an outstanding tourism resource which was Bird watching, especially after the discovery of the new species of bird to the world, which is known as Bugun Liochicla, which attracted tourists from all over the world. Most of the tourists received tourism information from trip reports and advertising. They were normally grouped visitors who visited the destination for wildlife, especially Bird watching. On an average, they stayed over seven nights at different campsites. Nearly all tourists were aware of Ecotourism. The most attractive resource was Bird watching. They also admired the landscapes, the scenery of the forest and mountains

Introduction Rice cultivation is of significant importance to India’s agrarian economy; however, its prolonged dominance has led to serious sustainability concerns, viz., groundwater depletion, soil compaction, fertility loss, yield stagnation, waterlogging, greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient input use. Methods To assess the drivers of rice adoption and barriers to diversification, a perception-based survey was conducted during 2023–2024 across nine purposively selected rice-dominant yet low-productivity districts [Bhilwara (Rajasthan), Jhargram (West Bengal), Khammam (Telangana), Mahesana and Sabarkantha (Gujarat), Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) and West Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh)]. Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling design, 696 farmers were selected from the Pilot Project on Crop Diversification (PPCD) database of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The primary data were analysed using Chi-square tests, Standardized Residual Analysis (SRA) and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Results The Chi-square test confirmed significant association between farmer responses and the reasons for rice adoption (Cramér’s V = 0.370, moderate association). SRA identified the availability of high-yielding varieties (R8, residual = 14.23*) as key motivators, while strong disagreement was observed for the notion that local soils are unsuitable for other crops (R4, residual = 19.66*). MCA revealed four dominant dimensions explaining 54.0% of inertia, i.e., (i) varietal access and market assurance, (ii) input responsiveness and mechanization, (iii) wildlife risk and fodder dependence, and (iv) household consumption and agroecological constraints. Discussion District-specific patterns indicated that Mahesana and Sabarkantha (Gujrat) are primarily driven by varietal access and market assurance; Tiruppur (Tamil nadu) and Bhilwara (Rajasthan) combine varietal access with mechanization benefits; Khammam (Telangana) and Udaipur (Rajasthan) are constrained by limited mechanization and weak input responsiveness; whereas Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir), West Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh), and Jhargram (West Bengal) reflect wildlife risk, fodder needs, household consumption, and agroecological constraints. These findings highlight the role of developing and access to seeds of improved varieties, suitable mechanization and assured markets in adopting diversified crops.

Camera-trap photos of Red Panda Ailurus fulgens were obtained from three locations in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India during a survey conducted from March to July 2019. Two of the locations are in West Kameng district and one location is in Shi-Yomi district (formerly West Siang). These records are important additions to the currently limited information available for species distribution in the state, and was gathered as part of a tri-country study on the status of tiger habitats in high altitude ecosystems of Bhutan, India, and Nepal.

Taxus baccata, a small to medium sized tree is valuable for extraction of taxol which is used in preparation of anti-cancer drugs (breast and ovarian cancer), kaposi’s sarcoma (an AIDS related cancer) and over 20 such other indications. The plant is rare, endangered and listed in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) showing widespread decline in population and increasing fragmentation worldwide. Around 2 to 3 million kg of biomass is harvested annually where as the sustainable rate of harvesting is estimated to be 0.6 million kg per year. It grows at an altitudinal range of 1500 to 3000 m throughout Arunachal Pradesh in Bomdila, Shergaon, Eagle Nest, Dirang, Thungri, Tawang, Mago and Zemithang in West Kameng and Tawang Districts, Tale Valley (few trees only) of Lower Subansiri, Anini, Mayodiya in Dibang Valley district, Mechuka in West Siang and Melinja and Hot spring areas of Lohit District. Random linear transacts in West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh recorded a total of 265 Taxus plants. Out of which, 130 are live trees and 135 are dead plants. In the absence of standard lopping technique and non-existence of any regulatory mechanisms for sustainable harvest, the leaves were pruned mercilessly to the extent that plant could not withstand to survive. Moreover, the pressing demands and associated lucrative price lured middlemen and villagers to plunder this scarce resource pushing it to the extreme limits of disappearance. The interaction with the villagers revealed that about 100 trucks of Taxus leaves were supplied each from villages of the area. Thus, around 1000 full grown trees have been completely pruned from the area before the ban imposed by the Supreme Court of India in 1996. The results point towards unsustainable and unorganized way of exploitation of the plant in the eastern Himalayas during the recent past. Although Taxus baccata is known to be tolerant to shade, high temperature and low moisture stress but the sudden and unlikely changes in climatic variables may cause both positive and negative impacts on the future of the plant. Hence, the paper attempts to discuss the impact of unsustainable exploitation as well as climate change and suggest suitable strategies for conservation and modeling of this rare and endangered medicinal plant in the study area.

Non-timber forest products are important component of subsistence and livelihood of tribal communities living in and near forests. This is of particular significance in the state of Arunachal Pradesh having more than 80% of geographical area under forest cover and predominantly inhabited by tribal people. Purpose of this study was to document the status and utilization pattern and to assess the economic value of NTFPs of the state. Present study was carried out in eight districts of Arunachal Pradesh viz., Changlang, East Kameng, Lower Subansiri, Tawang, Tirap, Upper Siang, West Kameng and West Siang covering 34 villages and 350 households. Altogether, 135 plant based and 36 animal based non-timber forest products were recorded. Among plant based NTFPs, 54 species were collected for leaves, 30 for stem and 22 for fruits. Most of the animal based NTFPs (93%) were collected/hunted for food. Average 20~40 kg of NTFPs was collected annually per household. Maximum plant based NTFP collection was recorded from West Siang followed by West Kameng and Tawang. Similarly, highest collection of animal based NTFPs was recorded from West Siang followed by Tirap and Lower Subansiri. NTFP contributed more than 50% of annual income of the people of East Kameng, Tirap, Lower Subansiri and Upper Siang districts. An illiterate and unemployed person with minimum agricultural land was more dependent on forests for his livelihood than a literate jobholder. The study concludes that a large section of people of Arunachal Pradesh are dependent on NTFPs for their livelihood however due to its unscientific harvesting, the availability of NTFPs is receding with time. There is an urgent need to promote cultivation and scientific harvesting of NTFPs in order to conserve the plant and animal diversity of this global biodiversity hotspot and for ensuring livelihood security of the people living in this area.

The North Eastern States (NES) are the easternmost region of India among them Arunachal Pradesh is a largest hill state and shares its international boundaries with Bhutan in the west, China in the north and Myanmar in the east with a wide range of climates and altitudes. Fish farming is playing a vital role from economic, nutritional and employment point of view in the state, in spite of increase in the production, the current level of fish production is not sufficient to fulfil the requirement, very much far-away to meet out the present consumption demand. Therefore, to identify the yield gap and adoption gap of improved production practice of composite fish culture technology the present study was conducted in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It has been observed that the yields obtained by the farmers are well below those obtained in Govt. Farms and OFT/FLD trials. Carp cultivation practices of 171 farmers were examined on the basis of multistage random sampling. The sample was collected from all the administrative circle of the district West Kameng of Arunachal Pradesh NER India. The average production obtained by the respondents were found only 1.09 t/ha annually, but the range was 2.0 to 2.4-2.8 t/ha in the trials of Govt. farms and OFT/FLDs. The difference of 1.31t/h constituted yield gap under normal practices, these differences were observed due to critical fish farming input availability lacuna on time, the extent to which the farmers adopted the recommended practices, and other socio-economic factors. The study thus clearly showed that the gap is due to the deficiency in adopting the technology along with timely un-availability of quality fish seed and feed which may be bridged only by promotion of the region specific tailored suitable technology of fish farming along with assurance for availability of critical inputs on time.

Kiwifruit is highly valued for its rich biochemical composition, nutritional benefits, and market potential, particularly in the hill regions of Arunachal Pradesh, India. This study evaluates the phenological traits, fruit physical characteristics, and biochemical composition of five significant kiwifruit cultivars—'Hayward,' 'Allison,' 'Monty,' 'Bruno,' and 'Yellow Fleshed'—grown in the West Kameng district during 2019–2020. The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design (RBD) with four replications. The ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) was employed for data analysis. A significant variation was observed in flowering duration, with ‘Yellow Fleshed’ exhibiting the longest period (20 days). Fruit set percentage ranged from 81.60% in ‘Yellow Fleshed’ to 93.60% in ‘Monty,’ while the number of days from fruit set to harvest varied from 168 days in ‘Yellow Fleshed’ to 176 days in ‘Allison’ and ‘Monty.’ Among physical traits, ‘Bruno’ recorded the longest fruit length (6.05 cm), while ‘Hayward’ had the largest diameter (4.56 cm). The fruit shape index (FSI) varied from 1.16 (‘Hayward’) to 1.77 (‘Bruno’), whereas ‘Monty’ produced the heaviest fruits (73.17 g). Yield per plant ranged from 32.38 kg (‘Bruno’) to 51.69 kg (‘Allison’). Biochemically, total soluble solids (TSS) content ranged from 7.6 °B (‘Bruno’) to 8.8 °B (‘Yellow Fleshed’), with titratable acidity (TA) from 0.60% (‘Monty’) to 0.89% (‘Bruno’). ‘Yellow Fleshed’ exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC) (47.65 mg GAE/100 g FW), total flavonoid content (TFC) (16.65 mg CE/100 g FW), and vitamin C content (115.68 mg/100 g FW). The highest total antioxidant activity (TAoA) was recorded in ‘Yellow Fleshed’ (45.95 μmol Trolox/g FW), while ‘Hayward’ had the lowest (31.48 μmol Trolox/g FW). These findings provide crucial insights for the fruit industry, aiding in cultivar selection for superior fruit quality and enhanced antioxidant properties.

Climate change is the most significant threat to global biodiversity, risking extinction for many species due to their limited adaptability to rapidly changing environmental conditions, such as temperature, precipitation, and other climate variables. Illicium griffithii, an endangered tree with ecological and medicinal value, remains understudied, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. The aim of the study is to identify key environmental variables influencing the current distribution of I. griffithii and to predict the potential distribution under current and future climatic scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585). We used an ensemble modeling approach that integrates five species distribution models (SDMs). After multicollinearity test, we utilized fifteen environmental variables including bioclimatic variables, soil properties, topographical variables, and evapotranspiration to predict the potential distribution of I. griffithii. The study revealed that the current distribution is predominantly influenced by isothermality, nitrogen content at 0–5 cm depth, clay content at 0–5 cm depth, and seasonality of precipitation, with a total contribution rate of 42.6%. The ensemble model performed robustly and found to be excellent performance based on AUC of 0.94 and TSS of 0.83. The total highly suitable area for I. griffithii spans 722.72 km2 in the current scenario, primarily located in West Kameng, Tawang, and East Kameng districts. West Kameng stands out as the largest high-suitability area, which covers 592.83 km2 and contributing a substantial 82.03% of the total suitable area. However, under the SSP585 future climate scenario (2041–2060), projections reveal a concerning decline in highly suitable areas. The area is expected to shrink by over 5.05%, decreasing from 722.72 to 686.25 km2. The results have highlighted the vulnerability of I. griffithii under future climatic scenario. Hence, forest managers should prioritize conserving suitable habitats in West Kameng, Tawang, and East Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh by implementing habitat restoration, assisted migration and ex situ conservation strategies that can mitigate climate change impacts.

Tibetan refugee rehabilitation in Arunachal Pradesh, India, has become a site of contention, with strident local identity narratives agitating against refugee presence in this Himalayan borderland state. This paper maps the processes of state-making, citizenship and identity that produce a collision between encompassing notions of citizenship/identity and territorialized discourses of belonging premised on ethnicity in the West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal. This is a multi-factoral analysis of how pressures of land commoditization and competition for economic opportunity interact with religious solidarities and social histories of migration to produce simultaneous narratives of belonging and othering between the dominant local Monpa Buddhist community and the exiled Tibetans in Monyul in the Indo-Tibetan borderland. The post-colonial state’s failure to dismantle the ethnicity-based colonial spatial order in the Himalayan region has created a crisis of exclusionary ethnopolitics that is inherently hostile to refugees.

Musa puspanjaliae R. Gogoi & Häkkinen, a new species of Musa sect. Musa , is described and illustrated from west Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, India based on morphological characteristics observed in the field. The new species is common in Sessa, Zero Point to Ramda on Sepa road of west Kameng and Hazi Basti, Ziro of lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh. A key to M. puspanjaliae and related taxa is provided.

Liparis torta Hook.f. [ORCHIDACEAE-EPIDENDROIDEAE-MALAXIDEAE-MALAXIDINAE] which was known by more than 130 years old type collection from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya has been rediscovered from Arunachal Pradesh. It is a lookalike species of Liparis bootanensis Griff. in gross morphology, but with considerable differences in the floral details and phenological behaviour. Present paper reports its rediscovery after more than 130 years; its range extension in Arunachal Pradesh; its relationship with Liparis bootanensis; and the Red list assessment as per IUCN guidelines. A detail morphological description with illustrative photo plate has been provided for its easy identification. Its original description has been amended and an epitype has been designated as a supplement for its identity. This has also been provided with information on phenology, habitat, distribution and threats.

The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of training programme on integrated fish cum poultry farming conducted during 2012-2022 on trainee’s knowledge in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The data revealed that just aftercompletion of training, most of participants were having high to medium level of knowledge except 0.19 % i.e. only 3 nos. of trainees having low level of knowledge regarding IFS (Fish-Poultry) technology in mid hill and foothill areas of the district. The findings of the study clearly indicates that farmers trainings programme conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, West Kameng on above said duration was effective in enhancing the knowledge gain by the participants to enhance their farming skill through involvement of an integrated approach at village level in far flung areas of Arunachal Pradesh. Most of participants in these training programs were farmers, farm women’s, school dropouts, labors, and rural youths. By using this knowledge they can find self-employment alongwith nutritional security which will be helpful to reduce the fish production gap as well as to support the rural economy of the state of Arunachal Pradesh.