Dooars Region Research Articles

Importance based on avian diversity of Pakhibitan Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary, Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal, India

A comprehensive inventory of faunal and floral species in a specific region holds significant value for scientific investigation. This study was conducted between 2015 and 2021, especially during the winter season, in Pakhibitan Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Gajoldoba wetland) in West Bengal, which was established in 2016. This wetland surrounded by forests is located on the upper section of the Teesta Barrage in the Dooars region of Jalpaiguri District, and it attracts birds from the Central Asian Flyway. Around 124 bird species belonging to 14 orders and 37 families were documented. Passeriformes with 32 species, and Anatidae with 23 species, are the most abundant groups. Based on the IUCN Red Data Book (2022–23), six species are Near Threatened, four are Vulnerable, and one Endangered. About 50% of birds were resident, 44% migratory, and 6% local migrants.

Diversity of vascular epiphytes on preferred shade trees in tea gardens of sub-Himalayan tracts in West Bengal, India

Tea gardens are the main economic backbone of the Terai & Dooars region and intermingle with forest areas of northern Bengal in India. The study aims to explore the vascular epiphytic diversity and their zone-wise assemblage pattern on 10 dominant shade trees in the tea gardens. Four years (March 2018–September 2022) of surveys recorded a total of 6,704 individuals that belong to 74 species of 20 families of vascular epiphytes. Considering life forms, the majority of them are holoepiphytes (62.16%), followed by hemiepiphytes (20.27%), accidental epiphytes (13.51%), and facultative epiphytes (2.7%). The predominantly recorded families are Orchidaceae (21 spp.), Araceae (11 spp.), Apocyanaceae with six species, and Piperaceae & Pteridaceae with three species each. Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. hosts a maximum of 737 vascular epiphytic assemblages (VEAs), whereas, Gmelina arborea Roxb. has a minimum of 450 VEAs. Vascular epiphytes were also studied for their host specificity using interpolation and extrapolation analyses. The findings of the study show that vascular epiphytic assemblage upon the shade trees of the tea garden has a remarkably high potential to contribute toward epiphytic diversity of this region other than forest and contribute significant ecological impacts.

Initiation of Alcohol Consumption Among the Tribal Male Adolescents in Dooars Region of West Bengal: A Failure Event Analysis Approach.

Alcohol consumption is a significant social and health problem among tribal male adolescents. The Dooars region of West Bengal has the highest concentration of the tribal population. This study aimed to examine the role of various factors in the early initiation of alcohol consumption among tribal male adolescents. This study relied on primary data and included 600 tribal adolescents. To fulfil the objective, the Cox regression hazard model was employed. Additionally, hazard rates were calculated to identify the changing hazard rates over a specific age. The Kaplan-Meier failure graph was also used to illustrate the occurrence of alcohol consumption events among different groups of tribal adolescents. The risk of alcohol consumption was higher among tribal adolescents who dropped out of the educational system (HR: 2.94), did not participate in outdoor games (HR: 3.10), worked for pay (HR: 3.23), smoked (HR: 12.55), drank traditional liquor (HR: 3.61), and had siblings (HR: 4.27) or peers (HR: 3.60) who used substances or fathers who consumed alcohol (HR: 3.80). Unsupervised time with peers (HR: 3.61) and stress (HR: 3.61) also increased the risk of alcohol consumption. In contrast, self-esteem was found to be protective (HR: 0.93). The government has introduced various interventions and schemes to reduce alcohol consumption, but more targeted actions are needed at the household and individual levels. In the tea gardens of the Dooars region, NGOs and the government should promote education, organize extracurricular activities for adolescents' holistic development, and raise awareness in tribal communities about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.

Investigating key latent factors influencing alcohol consumption among the tribal male adolescents in Dooars region, West Bengal

Background Alcohol consumption among tribal male adolescents in India is a significant social concern. Tribal adolescents are particularly vulnerable and tend to lean toward alcohol addiction. Therefore, it is crucial to introduce some necessary footsteps to reduce alcohol consumption. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the association of various latent factors with the alcohol-drinking behavior of tribal adolescents. Methods The study collected data from 600 tribal adolescents from the Dooars region, with 241 of them reported consuming alcohol. The study aimed to confirm the theoretical development of hypotheses regarding peer pressure, parental discord, stress, attitude toward alcohol, and food insecurity as exogenous latent factors influencing the alcohol-drinking behavior of tribal adolescents. In this context, the study adopted both measurement and structural models using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results The findings revealed a significant path relationship between alcohol drinking behavior and various exogenous factors like peer pressure (β = 0.214, p = .000), parental discord (β = 0.121, p = .009), stress (β = 0.170, p = .000), attitude toward alcohol (β = 0.110, p = .004), and food insecurity (β = 0.510, p = .000). This study developed a reflective measurement model, and the evaluation of reflective measurement models was conducted, assessing internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, yielding satisfactory results. Conclusion To tackle alcohol issues among tribal adolescents in the Dooars region, effective strategies should be employed. These include educating in schools, highlighting tribal role models, aiding peers with alcohol dependence, providing life skills training, and addressing parental discord and food insecurity through awareness campaigns, workshops, and better infrastructure.

Extracting of prospective groundwater potential zones using remote sensing data, GIS, and multi-criteria decision-making approach in the Sub-Himalayan Dooars region of West Bengal, India

Groundwater is one of the fundamental sources of fresh water. Currently, the unequal distribution of groundwater poses a significant environmental crisis, leading to scarcity in certain regions and affecting the livelihood of living organisms worldwide. The present study introduces the Sub-Himalayan foothills Dooars, a highly populated and agriculturally based area. To delineate the groundwater potentiality eight different effective parameters have been employed such as slope, geomorphology, soil, LULC, lineament, rainfall, hydrogeology, and drainage density. For the process and development of these eight thematic layers, geographic information systems and satellite images (Landsat 8) have been used to give the normalized weight and rank value in each thematic layer and their sub-criteria. MCDA-AHP-based model is used for overlay analysis to delineate groundwater potentiality (GWPZ). After overlay analysis in ArcGIS 10.2.2 final groundwater potentiality map is further grouped into four potentiality zones, i.e., very high, high, moderate, and low potential zones. A very high potential zone encompasses 22.45 sq. km. in the southern portion of the selected study region. The high potential zone encompasses 1613.32 sq. km in the southeastern part, the moderate zone is covered by 1063.84 sq.km, and the 71.03 sq.km (2.56% area of the region) area is covered by the low potential zone. The available well data from CGWB have been utilized to assess the potential of groundwater in the district, ensuring originality and authentic validation. It is found that there is a correlation between the observed potentiality zone and existing well data. With the growing population in the Sub-Himalayan Dooars region, there has been a corresponding rise in the demand for water. Hence, this research would assist the authorities and policymakers in effectively managing the groundwater resources in the district.

Three new species of Forcipomyia (Lepidohelea) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from West Bengal, India.

Three new species of the subgenus Lepidohelea Kieffer, 1917 of the genus Forcipomyia were described from the northern region of West Bengal based on morphological data. Forcipomyia (L.) inflatistyla sp. n. was collected from the Dooars region (Jayanti, near the Core area of Buxa Tiger Reserve), while two new species F. (L.) ranula and F. (L.) sulcoa were procured from Kalimpong in the Eastern Himalaya. Discovery of the three new species raises the total number of species of the genus Forcipomyia to 86 in India. A key to the Indian species of Lepidohelea is also provided.

Organic farming in the improvement of soil health and productivity of tea cultivation: A pilot study

AbstractThe sub‐mountainous tea gardens of the Dooars region of West Bengal, which contribute approximately 25% of the national tea yield, are constantly fighting with diminishing soil fertility. Inorganic alternatives like chemical fertilizers can provide easier yet short‐term solutions, as their prolonged and indiscriminate usage leaches the soil, devouring its productivity, increasing the soil's heavy metal contents, and subsequently accumulating those heavy metals in leaves. A plausible substitution in this scenario could be the use of organic alternatives like composting or biofertilizer. Although references to such alternative means are found in the literature, a holistic approach targeting plant growth promotion along with mitigating soil metal toxicity is lacking. Keeping this background in mind, this pilot study was designed to optimize the dosage of novel biofertilizers (using resident and alien flora) that can reduce heavy metal loads and residual toxicity in soil, thereby improving overall soil health and tea production. Two potential metallophilic plant growth‐promoting strains of Bacillus sp. (previously reported) were selected and applied to potted tea plants of two different varieties of tea: TV9 and TV25. Among the two modes of treatment tested: solid treatment (compost amended with bacterial culture) and liquid treatment (cell pellets mixed in water suspension), the water suspension‐based direct application of resident soil bacteria showed the highest physiological growth with reduced metal toxicity. Based on physiological data and physico‐chemical data collected, it was observed that direct application of bacteria showed better results in both plant and soil health improvement in comparison to regular compost amended with beneficial microflora. Therefore, this small‐scale pilot study aimed to optimize the dosage and mode of application of novel biofertilizers for improved soil and plant health.

Selection of Potential Tourist Destinations in the Dooars Region for Tourism Investment Using a Multi-Criteria Analysis

Selection of Potential Tourist Destinations in the Dooars Region for Tourism Investment Using a Multi-Criteria Analysis

Sub-regional variation in atmospheric and land variables regulates tea yield in the Dooars region of West Bengal, India.

Climatic variables can have localized variations within a region and these localized climate patterns can have significant effect on production of climate-sensitive crops such as tea. Even though tea cultivation and industries significantly contribute to employment generation and foreign earnings of several South Asian nations including India, sub-regional differences in the effects of climatic and soil variables on tea yield have remained unexplored since past studies focused on a tea-producing region as a whole and did not account for local agro-climatic conditions. Here, using a garden-level panel dataset based on tea gardens of Dooars region, a prominent tea-producing region in India, we explored how sub-regional variations in climatic and land variables might differently affect tea yield within a tea-producing region. Our analysis showed that the Dooars region harboured significant spatial variability for different climatic (temperature, precipitation, surface solar radiation) and soil temperature variables. Using graph-based Louvain clustering of tea gardens, we identified four spatial sub-regions which varied in terms of topography, annual and seasonal distribution of climatic and land variables and tea yield. Our sub-region-specific panel regression analyses revealed differential effects of climatic and land variables on tea yield of different sub-regions. Finally, for different emission scenario, we also projected future (2025-2100) tea yield in each sub-region based on predictions of climatic variables from three GCMs (MIROC5, CCSM4 and CESM1(CAM5)). A large variation in future seasonal production changes was projected across sub-regions (-23.4-35.7% changes in premonsoon, -4.2-3.1% changes in monsoon and -10.9-10.7% changes in postmonsoon tea production, respectively).

One new species and new records of three species of the genus Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818 (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from West Bengal, India

Forcipomyia (Forcipomyia) hispida, a new species from the Dooars region of West Bengal, is described and illustrated here based on morphological and molecular data. Among the three newly recorded species, Forcipomyia (Dycea) hamoni de Meillon was known from the Eastern Himalayas while F. (Euprojoannisia) calamistrata Debenham & Wirth and F. (E.) fuscimana (Kieffer) were from the Gangetic plains of West Bengal. The supplementary descriptions and illustrations of the known species are also presented here. DNA barcoding of two newly recorded species of the subgenus Euprojoannisia Brèthes is also obtained for the first time.

Green tea processing by pan-firing from region-specific tea (Camellia sinensis L.) cultivars - a novel approach to sustainable tea production in Dooars region of North Bengal

The black crush-tear-curl (CTC) tea constitutes the bulk tea production in Dooars region of North Bengal while green tea processing is confined to fewer tea estates, however, recent trends of the tea industry indicate gradual inclination towards green tea production. Our novel research findings on pan-fired green teas from twelve cultivated region-specific tea varieties at three flushes and data analysis of chemical and sensory quality attributes showed diversity in the leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, as well as wide ranges of variation in green tea quality constituents including Polyphenols, Total Catechins, Catechin fractions, caffeine, free amino acids, Polyphenol to Amino acids ratio, Soluble Solid content and tasters’ quality scores. Most parameters differed significantly among the tea cultivars and between the three flushes within a certain cultivar. This study has highlighted the role of genetic variability of tea cultivars, processing conditions, and seasonal influence in determining green tea quality.

An assessment of groundwater potential zones of Mal block of Dooars region (India) using remote sensing and GIS with AHP method

An assessment of groundwater potential zones of Mal block of Dooars region (India) using remote sensing and GIS with AHP method

Elephant Habitat Suitability Analysis of Alipurduar District, West Bengal Using Geospatial Technology

In India’s Tarai-Dooars region, elephants are the most common wildlife species. The man-wildlife conflict has arisen as a result of forest scarcity, forest fragmentation, global climate change, land use land cover change in the Dooars region, and encroachment into forest life. Although the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 addressed the conservation of wild animals, the number of wild elephants in West Bengal was constantly changing. The goal of this project is to use geospatial technologies to determine wild elephant habitat suitability zones in West Bengal’s Alipurduar area. The first stage in the conservation and management of wild elephants is to determine their habitat suitability. To assess the result, the various habitat suitability factors/parameters of wild elephants were integrated through weighted overlay analysis in the ArcGIS environment. The result shows that the central part of the district - the Buxa forest area, holds the largest suitable environment for elephant habitat. The rest of the study area can be categorized as a medium habitat suitable area excluding some settlements and built-up areas. The authors hope the result will help the proper management and conservation of wild elephants.

A novel GIS-based MCDM approach to identify the potential eco-tourism sites in the Eastern Dooars region (Himalayan foothill) of West Bengal, India

The present study was designed to assess the capability of the novel Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method such as Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) along with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in identifying the potential site of ecotourism in the Eastern Dooars region of West Bengal, India. Two popular objective weighting methods such as Entropy and Criteria Importance through Interaction Correlation (CRITIC), were used to minimize the subjectivity of AHP methods. The suitability map obtained from these applied methods showed that the northern and north-eastern parts, namely Kalchini and Kumargram blocks, were identified as the highly suitable zone for ecotourism development. Finally, the obtained suitability map was validated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Area Under Curve (AUC) analysis. The AUC value of ROC was more than 0.80 for all the applied methods, indicating the reliability of all the applied models.

Housing Condition, Livelihood Pattern and Socio-cultural Life of Oraon, Munda and Santal Tribes in Dooars, Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal: The Migrants from Chota Nagpur Plateau Region

The Oraon, Munda and Santal are the three major Scheduled Tribes of the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. During the colonial period (mainly between 1880 and 1930), their arrival from the Chota Nagpur region to the Dooars region (Jalpaiguri district) took place by the British. In the present article, an attempt has been made to assess housing condition, livelihood pattern and socio-cultural life of the concerned tribes. For this purpose, 650 household surveys were carried out with the help of semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussion, informal interviews and field visits. The study finds that, after being displaced from their homeland (Chota Nagpur Plateau region) and settled for long in the Jalpaiguri district, they undergone many changes in their habitat, economic condition and society, but it did not bring any improvement in their quality of life. The deplorable residence, lack of housing amenities and necessities, inadequate income, illiteracy, loosening of social organization are the major features presently prevalent among them.

Impact of climate on tea production: a study of the Dooars region in India

The Dooars region of West Bengal in India is a major tea producing region that contributes around 25% of the national tea yield. Changes in weather patterns along with the increased frequency of drought, storms, flood, etc. are likely to affect the tea industry adversely as tea production is reliant on the climate of the tea-growing region. In spite of the tea industry being the primary contributor of the Dooars economy, to date, the impact of climatic variables on tea yield in Dooars region remains unexplored. Here, we have developed a panel dataset that includes monthly data of the tea gardens of Dooars region over a 10-year period and statistically analysed the effects of climatic variables including temperature, precipitation, drought intensity, magnitude of warm-wet condition and precipitation intensity on tea yield. Overall, our seasonal analysis suggested that higher temperature during summer and monsoon seasons affected tea yield. Contrastingly, higher temperature during winter months and summer and winter rainfall were found to be beneficial for the increase in tea yield. An excessive and sporadic rainfall and a combination of hotter and wetter weather condition during monsoon months had a detrimental effect on tea yield. Finally, projections using climate models under different emission scenario predicted reduction of monsoon production under extreme carbon emission. The analyses and predictions of our study will be beneficial for tea garden managers of Dooars region in particular and northern India in general in adopting strategies to prevent the tea plantations from being affected due to climate change.

Impact of surface-net solar radiation and soil temperature on tea production in India: a study of the Dooars region in West Bengal

Impact of surface-net solar radiation and soil temperature on tea production in India: a study of the Dooars region in West Bengal

Cold water fish diversity and their conservation status in Teesta,Jaldhak, Torsa, Kaljani and Sankosh Rivers of the Dooars region, West Bengal, India

A survey was conducted on the cold water fish diversity in the different rivers of the Dooars region with the help of fisherman. Data was collected on the monthly basis by using different nets. A total of 71 cold water fishes were reported during the study period. Most dominant family was cyprinidae with 32 species followed by Sisoridae with 12 species; Balitoridae 8 and Bagridae with 4 species etc. 70 cold water fish species in the river Teesta, 63 in Jaldhaka, 66 in Torsa, 61 in Kaljani and 66 in the river Sankosh were recorded. Ten Endangered and 31 Vulnerable species were reported from all the five rivers. Out of 71 cold water fishes many have consumption and ornamental value. Many migratory and sport cold water fishes are also reported. Catch frequency status indicates many fishes found rare and extremely rare during the study.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Barilius barna (Hamilton, 1822) in the sub-Himalayan Dooars region of West Bengal, India through Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I Sequence analyses

The genetic diversity and the population structure of Barilius barna (Hamilton, 1822) wild population from the Teesta River were assessed through mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequence analyses. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity analyses revealed low level of genetic diversity in the B. barna wild populations, especially in the lower reaches of Teesta (Bholarhat). The genetic differentiation and gene flow between the two study sites were 0.08434 and 2.71, respectively. Tajima’s D , Fu and Li’s D and Fu and Li’s F analyses were used to assess population differentiation in the two study sites. Haplotype networking and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished the two populations from each other, as well as from other populations from other parts of the country. Nature and implications of the genetic and haplotype diversities among the populations are discussed. Phylogenetic analyses also indicated that the Gajoldoba population is genetically closer to north Indian river populations, than that to Bholarhat population.

Factors Influencing Industrial Relations in the Indian Tea Industry: Study in the Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars Region

Factors Influencing Industrial Relations in the Indian Tea Industry: Study in the Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars Region