Kaziranga Research Articles

Whether is Flood Doom or Boon for Kaziranga National Park of Assam, India?


 The Kaziranga National Park of Assam is located in the floodplain ecosystem of the Brahmaputra River and hence the flood is the annual feature of the park. Amidst of it, the management for survival of the park along with its spectacular thriving is admirable. However, the perennial flood hurts the park at large carrying tragedies of different kinds such as land erosion, siltation of the water bodies, habitat degradation, damage of physical infrastructure, and exacerbate the accidents of the animals on the NH-37 and the poaching of the helpless animals. Conversely, the flood paybacks the park through nourishing and reviving its ecosystem in several ways such as refill the wetlands, refresh grasslands and remove invasive species, on annual basis. These, otherwise, would entail harder job and hence, a huge cost for the park management. Against this backdrop, an attempt has been made to examine to what extent, the flood is a doom for the park, and is a boon in the park through investigating and critically analyzing of the effects of flood on this world famed wildlife venture. Moreover, how the park authority has managed the flood season to mitigate its adverse outcomes has been examined in this academic work.
 

Conservation of Forest and community rights: a studyof people’s Livelihood Rights in the Periphery of Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

Kaziranga National Park, the world heritage site of Assam, presents its own unilinear thread of success in the Indian forest conservation history. Known as the only abode of the Asiatic one horned Rhinoceros and a few other endangered fauna, the national park seems to be at the receiving end of a state driven pursuit of modern scientific conservation that demarcates hitherto non-existing boundaries between the park and the people in its periphery. Here the paper tries to find out the colonial roots of forest conservation in India in general and the state of Assam in particular, to establish a linkage between implementation of forest acts and administrative policies in Independent India and the diminishing status of community forest rights in the fringe villages of the national park of Kaziranga (KNP). The paper examines various aspects of infringement of livelihood rights in 20 sampled villages undertaken for the study in and around 5 protected areas of the park and tries to offer possible solutions with an inclusive approach aimed at safeguarding both livelihood rights and natural resource management in the park’s periphery.

Speed thrills but kills: A case study on seasonal variation in roadkill mortality on National highway 715 (new) in Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape, Assam, India

Animal-vehicle collision on the roads is a major cause of mortality of a wide range of animal taxa both within and around protected areas. This study has been conducted in the National Highway 715 (new) covering a continuous stretch of 64 km that passes through Kaziranga National Park (KNP) of Assam (India). The area falls between the boundary of KNP on its north and North Karbi Anglong Wildlife sanctuary on the south. The survey concentrated on the mortality study of four groups of vertebrates viz., amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals resulting from collisions with vehicles from October 2016 through September, 2017. A total of 6036 individual roadkills were registered, belonging to 53 species, 23 other taxa and 30 families of vertebrates, with herpetofauna being the most affected group followed by birds and mammals. The study evaluated seasonal variation in the overall roadkill pattern with highest mortality in the monsoon season 38.27% (n = 2310) and with peak casualties starting with the onset of rainfall (February and March) and during monsoons (July and August). The amphibian mortality was also found to be highest during the monsoon with 43.28% (n = 1575) of kills, as compared to the other three groups. NH-715 (new), therefore serves as a challenging passage for the animals, forming a major barrier for the faunal component of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. This study thus tried to reflect the often overlooked issue of roads and highways in terms of direct mortality of animals due to traffic and thereby can be helpful in understanding the seriousness of the situation and identifying prospective measures to be taken for sustainable coexistence of both animals and human.

Seasonal pattern of food habits of large herbivores in riverine alluvial grasslands of Brahmaputra floodplains, Assam

Jarman–Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman–Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

Gut microbiome architecture of wild greater one-horned rhinoceros: a vulnerable species from Kaziranga National Park, India

Rhinoceros unicornis, also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros (GoHR), is a vulnerable wildlife species found in the Indian subcontinent with an estimated global population of 3582, of which an estimated 2995 resides in India. The Kaziranga National Park of Assam is the home to ~80.56% of the GoH population in India. Recent advances in genetics and microbial studies underscored the importance of gut microbial symbiosis as a crucial factor for host metabolic health and environmental interaction, particularly for higher mammals. Alteration of the normal microbiome can also be an indicator of chronic disease and infection. Freshly voided dung samples from nine dung heaps of free ranging or wild GoH rhinoceros were collected from Kaziranga National Park for mapping the gut microbial architecture through 16S-metagenomic approach. In our sample, the GoH gut harbours 168.8±12.55 (SE) bacteria-specific OTUs belonging to 21 phyla of which the gram-negative Proteobacteria is the most abundant phyla. Other abundant phylas found in the GoH gut are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Although the GoH rhinoceros gut can utilize fibrous plant by microbial fermentation, the aerobic, nonfermenting Acinetobacter (20.7%), Stenotrophomonas (17.8%) and Brevundimonas (9.1%) constitute about 50% of all identified genus. Functional prediction of the GoH microbiome reveals that>50% of the bacteria present are involved in metabolism followed by cellular processes and information processing. A significant proportion (>1%) are associated with different diseases. In summary, our study characterized bacterial communities of nine wild GoH to identify some unique features and its implication in disease and survival of GoH.

Abundance of Multiple-Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Strains in Fecal Samples of Rhinoceros unicornis of the Kaziranga National Park, India

Aims: This study was undertaken to assess the abundance of multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Salmonella strains in fecal samples of Rhinoceros unicornis of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), India.
 Study Design: Antibiotic-resistance profile of the Salmonella isolates from fecal samples of rhinoceros was carried out by replica plating on Muller Hinton Agar (MHA) plates containing antibiotics. The presence of class 1 integrons in metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producing Salmonella isolates was determined by multiplex PCR.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out on rhinos of KNP situated in the Golaghat district of Assam, India in April 2015.
 Methodology: Fresh rhino fecal samples (designated as 1R, 2R, 3R, 4R and 5R) were dilution plated onto MacConkey agar. Purified bacterial colonies were then streaked separately on bismuth sulphite (BS) agar plates. All black colonies which are characteric growth of Salmonella were selected and used to make master plates on Luria Agar. To determine the antibiotic-resistance profile of the isolates, master-plates of purified single colonies of Salmonella spp. were replicate-printed on plates containing antibiotics from the β-lactam, aminoglycoside, or quinolone groups. To detect the presence of an integron, a conserved segment polymerase chain reaction was used.
 Results: 97.6% of the Salmonella isolates tested were resistant to >1 antibiotics (multidrug resistant or MAR). A total of 100 isolates from two fecal samples, 4R and 5R, were found to be imipenem resistant; 52 of them tested positive for the presence of MBLs. Five of the twenty MBL producing strains contained class 1 integrons.
 Conclusion: Because Salmonella is usually spread by drinking contaminated water, it is likely that water bodies in KNP are contaminated with MAR Salmonella strains. In case of Salmonellosis outbreak among Indian one-horned rhinos, our antibiogram will assist the veterinarians to choose the appropriate regimen of antibiotics for the rhinos in the KNP.

Livestock vaccination programme participation among smallholder farmers on the outskirts of National Parks and Tiger Reserves in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Assam.

Effective livestock vaccination has the potential to raise prosperity and food security for the rural poor in low and middle income countries. To understand factors affecting access to vaccination services, and guide future policy, smallholder farmers in three locations in India were questioned about vaccination of their cattle and buffalo, with particular reference to foot and mouth disease (FMD), haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) and blackquarter (BQ). In the three regions 51%, 50%, and 31% of respondents reported vaccinating their livestock; well below any threshold for effective population level disease control. However, within the third region, 65% of respondents in villages immediately surrounding the Kaziranga National Park reported vaccinating their cattle. The majority of respondents in all three regions were aware of FMD and HS, awareness of BQ was high in the Kanha and Bandhavgarh regions, but much lower in the Kaziranga region. The majority of respondents had positive attitudes to vaccination; understood vaccination protected their animals from specific diseases; and wished to immunise their livestock. There was no significant association between the age or gender of respondent and the immunisation of their livestock. Common barriers to immunisation were: negative attitudes to vaccination; lack of awareness of date and time of vaccination events; and difficulty presenting animals. Poor access to vaccination services was significantly associated with not vaccinating livestock. Fear of adverse reactions to vaccines was not significantly associated with not vaccinating livestock. Respondents who reported that vets or animal health workers (AHWs) were their main source of animal health knowledge were significantly more likely to have immunised their livestock in the last twelve months. Participants cited poor communication from vaccinators as problematic, both in publicising immunisation programmes, and explaining the purpose of vaccination. Where vaccinations were provided free of charge, farmers commonly displayed passive attitudes to accessing vaccination services, awaiting organised “immunisation drives” rather than seeking vaccination themselves. Based on these findings the following recommendations are made to improve participation and effectiveness of immunisation programmes. Programmes should be planned to integrate with annual cycles of: disease risk, agricultural activity, seasonal climate, social calendar of villages; and maximise efficiency for vaccinators. Dates and times of immunisation in each village must be well publicised, as respondents frequently reported missing the vaccinators. Relevant farmer education should precede immunisation programmes to mitigate against poor knowledge or negative attitudes. Immunisation drives must properly engage beneficiaries, particularly ensuring that services are accessible to female livestock keepers, and sharing some responsibilities with local farmers. Payment of a small monetary contribution by animal keepers could be considered to encourage responsibility for disease prevention, making vaccination an active process by farmers.

Isotopic and Concentration Analyses of CO2 and CH4 in Association With the Eddy‐Covariance Based Measurements in a Tropical Forest of Northeast India

AbstractAmong the natural ecosystems, forests and wetlands emit a sizable amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) through autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration and bacterial activities. Interestingly, some evidence suggests that a significant amount of CH4 is generated by the trees in forested ecosystems. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE), measured by the eddy covariance (EC) method, typically represents the net CO2 flux arising from the photosynthetic and respiration processes in the biosphere. This flux is subsequently partitioned into two components, the respired carbon and the assimilated carbon. However, the usual method of partitioning introduces significant errors in each of these fluxes. The present study was undertaken to address this issue where the NEE partitioning was constrained by using the carbon isotopic ratios of CO2. We used a real‐time in situ analyzer in a tropical forest in northeast India, the Kaziranga National Park. The greenhouse gas analyzer provided CO2 and CH4 concentrations, as well as their carbon isotopic ratios. The isotopic data were used to partition the EC‐derived NEE values and derive the isoflux values. Additionally, the isotopic data provided evidence of plant‐generated CH4 in conformity with some recent studies, which requires further investigation.

Ecosystem-atmosphere carbon and water exchanges of subtropical evergreen and deciduous forests in India

We studied the ecosystem-atmosphere carbon and water fluxes and their coupling at a broadleaf deciduous forest (Kaziranga National Park, KNP) and a coniferous evergreen forest (Kosi-Katarmal watershed, KKM) in subtropical India using the eddy covariance measurements. We analysed the data statistically in a bigleaf framework to compare the annual and seasonal carbon and water exchanges and their drivers at the two sites. The broadleaf deciduous forest at KNP varies from a weak annual carbon sink (−29 g C m−2 y-1) to a moderate source (+207 g C m−2 y-1), while the coniferous-dominated forest at KKM is a strong carbon sink (from −635 to −900 gC m−2 y-1). The component fluxes GPP and TER are much larger, and intra-annual variations are much stronger at KNP than at KKM. We found potential and actual evapotranspiration, as well as the evaporative fraction, to be higher at the broadleaf deciduous than at the coniferous forest. At both the sites, canopy-atmosphere decoupling coefficient is highest during the wet period and, as a whole, the broadleaf deciduous forest remains less tightly coupled to the atmosphere compared to its coniferous evergreen counterpart. At KNP, the biological carbon uptake primarily governs the ratio of intercellular to ambient CO2 concentrations (Ci/Ca), whereas at KKM it is the seasonality of surface conductance. The seasonal cycle of photosynthetic capacity (Vcmax25) is stronger at the deciduous forest than the coniferous forest, where photosynthetic capacity is retained at higher level during the winter. At both the sites, surface conductance and its intra-annual variability, due to environmental and physiological factors, and seasonal cycle of leaf-area, are the main factors controlling the seasonal patterns of surface-atmosphere coupling and ecosystem Ci/Ca. The Ci/Ca is found to decrease inversely with the square root of VPD at both the sites with the variation being similar in monsoon but widely divergent in winter. Our results will have direct implications in improving the parameterizations of the studied forest types in these models to improve their performances over this region.

Expedition for the Collection and Conservation of Saline and Waterlogging Tolerant Sugarcane Wild Germplasm from West Bengal and Assam

Exploration, collection, characterization and utilization of new germplasm are continuous process in breeding programs. Collection of new germplasm in stress-prone areas will augment the sources of new genes for abiotic stress tolerance in developing stress-tolerant varieties. An exploration in the South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal and Assam states of India for the collection of salinity and waterlogging tolerant germplasm, respectively, was conducted, and 68 new accessions were collected including 51 S. spontaneum, six S. officinarum, four Erianthus arundinaceus, two Erianthus bengalense, three Imperata cylindrica and two Sclerostachya sp. In the saline coastal district, South 24 Parganas seven S. spontaneum, three S. officinarum, four E. arundinaceus and two Erianthus bengalense were collected. Large population of S. spontaneum was found in river banks and river beds in different districts of Assam. Excluding Kaziranga National Park (KNP), 34 collections were made in the state which included thirty-one S. spontaneum and three S. officinarum. In the waterlogged KNP areas, S. spontaneum was the most abundant grass and thirteen S. spontaneum, three Imperata and two Sclerostachya were collected. Greater variation was observed among the S. spontaneum collections for plant height (91–313 cm), leaf width (0.1–2.0 cm), stalk diameter (0.2–1.6 cm) and internode length (4.2–23 cm). Clustering of S. spontaneum collected from Assam generated 6 distinct clusters and cluster II had many germplasm collected from waterlogged areas of KNP. Three non-flowering accessions grouped into cluster IV. Shannon’s diversity index indicated greater species diversity in South 24 Parganas. The S. spontaneum collected from South 24 Parganas and KNP can be characterized and utilized for the development of salinity and waterlogging tolerant sugarcane varieties, respectively. Four E. arundinaceus collected from South 24 Parganas will be a potential source for introgression of high biomass genes to develop high yielding sugarcane and energycane varieties

Land cover dynamics and their driving factors in a protected floodplain ecosystem

AbstractFloodplains are simultaneously the most productive and threatened ecosystems in the world, with land cover integrity compromised even in “protected” floodplains. Due to their rich biodiversity, monitoring of land cover and understanding the causative drivers becomes imperative in the protected floodplains. This work performs spatio‐temporal assessment of land cover changes and discovers the underlying processes in the largest protected floodplain of the Brahmaputra River (BR)—Kaziranga National Park (KNP). Remotely sensed images of 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018 were analyzed using visual interpretation techniques coupled with class description keys in GIS platform along with ground‐based surveys. Results show a substantial area decline under Dense Forest (7.7%), Open Forest (10%), Waterlogged wetland (31.3%), and Marsh/Swamp (70.4%) land cover classes between 1988 and 2018. The considerable reduction in forests and wetlands is likely to impact the life support system of the park as they form the key habitats and food resources. Concurrently, dramatic area increase under riverine classes has led to huge landmass loss along the northern and eastern stretch. Though the BR and the local flood pulse are essential source of nutrient replenishment in the park, they also act as primary drivers of land cover alteration. Hydro‐geomorphic processes like bank erosion, high‐flood events, and siltation in association with vegetation succession and invasive species control the inter‐conversion of land cover classes in the KNP. The findings of this work provide an insight into the natural factors that instigate the land cover modification on large floodplains in general, and particularly in KNP.

Camera trap based monitoring of a key wildlife corridor reveals opportunities and challenges for large mammal conservation in Assam, India

To assess the corridor’s functionality and prioritize protection of one of the corridors connecting Kaziranga National Park and the forests of Karbi Anglong District in Assam, India, we conducted a camera-trap study from 2011 to 2016. A total of 10,895 trap nights revealed 39 mammal and avian species, several of which were new records for the area. Relative Abundance Index was calculated as a measure of photo-capture rates from the photographic events, and annual trend for selected species and seasonal trend for elephants were analyzed. The indices showed that elephants used the corridor patch most frequently (RAI = 8.81), followed by hog deer (RAI = 2.77), while hog badgers were most rarely recorded (RAI = 0.02). Seasonality of the movement pattern of elephants showed increased use during the monsoon season. Records of nine individual tigers and six individual leopards, along with other rare and endangered species indicate functionality and regular use of the critical corridor by wildlife, crossing over between Kaziranga and Karbi Anglong hills, maneuvering through the busy National Highway—37 that cuts across the historically connected landscape. The results obtained from the study can be used to prepare a conservation action strategy to secure the corridor for safe passage of wildlife.

Analysis of challenges of private tour operators in developing successful business: Case study of Assam

Assam, the premier North Eastern state of India, has a long history of hosting wildlife tours inside its world famous Kaziranga National Park since 1904. Tour operators operating from the state have been carrying millions of domestic and international tourists annually to various destinations of Assam and its adjacent states of North East India. At present, around seventy Government of Assam recognised Private Tour Operators and one Government tour operator under Assam Tourism Development Corporation are providing valuable services to the tourists visiting this part of the country. The present study intends to study the challenges faced by the Private Tour Operators of Assam and also to try to put forward few suggestions for the improvement of their business conditions. The research work is mostly based on primary data collected during the interactions with the officials of the Private Tour Operators of Assam and few secondary data are also gathered from various printed and online publications, records of the Directorate of Tourism-Assam and various research publications. The research results determined the existence of many challenges that Private Tour Operators need to deal with while operating from this remotest part of India. It is expected that the research results will help the Private Tour Operators of Assam in finding solutions to some of their problems and thereby improving their business conditions. This study is also believed to serve the state tourism department and policymakers to formulate plans for the development of tour operators in particular and tourism in general for the state.

Contingent Valuation Approach to Maximizing Park Finances: A study of Kaziranga National Park

Contingent Valuation Approach to Maximizing Park Finances: A study of Kaziranga National Park

Coupled effects of climatic forcing and the human footprint on wildlife movement and space use in a dynamic floodplain landscape

With climate change, terrestrial fauna in riparian floodplain ecosystems must adapt to a predicted increase in frequency and magnitude of fluvial perturbations. Seasonal migration to seek refuge from floodwaters represents a central adaptation strategy, but may entail risky navigation of anthropogenic spaces in heterogeneous landscapes. Here, we demonstrate the opportunities and constraints large-bodied mammalian herbivores face during an adaptive response of obligatory flood-driven refuge migration, across a human-dominated environment. Our study system, centred around a productive protected area––Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Northeast India––on the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River, is home to an abundance of large herbivores that undertake seasonal migrations in response to floods. We contrast species distribution data during a major flood event with those from the dry season to illustrate season-specific movement and space use decisions of large herbivores ranging in body mass from the 3000-kg Asian elephant Elephas maximus to the 20-kg muntjac Muntiacus muntjak. In the dry season, most large herbivores––a majority of which are endangered and threatened by anthropogenic pressures––avoided areas with a strong human footprint, while preferring spaces with high land-use diversity. During the floods, such species were pushed out of inundated habitats within the protected area, and they chose to move through woodlands and areas under bamboo cover on private lands, as they migrated to forested refugia on higher ground. Our results show how seasonal environmental constraints shaped by floods determine the internal motivation of animals to risk traversing a human-dominated space to seek refuge, which contextually defines how animals view and navigate the landscape. Such insights underscore the importance of dynamic and adaptive planning, and participatory conservation efforts, to facilitate connectivity in the changing environment and climate of the present Anthropocene.

Conservation Induced Marginalisation: The Case of Two Tribal Communities of Assam, India

In India, the indigenous people designated as the scheduled tribes (STs) by the Indian constitution have been dependent on forests for their survival. However, with the declaration of protected areas, the conservation plans have mostly overlooked the dependence of these tribes on nature. This paper looks into the adverse impact of conservation on two tribes, the Karbi and Mising, residing on the areas adjacent to the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) of Assam, India. It points out that the case of KNP shows a marked deviation regarding support for conservation by the marginalised communities inspite of hardships. It shows how conservation efforts have further aggravated their conditions. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews with respondents of two villages – a Karbi village and Mising village located on the fringes of the KNP. This paper also takes a cursory glance on the community related initiatives undertaken on the fringes of the KNP for the betterment of the socio-economic conditions.

Bankline dynamics and their effects on protected areas along the Brahmaputra river

This work addresses the effect of the Brahmaputra river on the land areas of 5 Protected Areas situated along its bankline. The Protected Areas- Dibru Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve, Kaziranga National Park, Orang National Park, Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary and Pani Dihing Wildlife Sanctuary, are subjected to bank erosion and accretion due to unstable bankline and dynamic nature of the Brahmaputra river. These Protected Areas harbour diverse wildlife species, for which integrity of habitat expanse is important. Quantification and spatial variation of bank erosion and accretion and identification of causative factors that are accountable for land area change have been investigated in GIS environment, using remote sensing data that spans over a period of 30 years (1987–2017). The results show that the Protected Areas located on the southern bank are more susceptible to bank erosion. While a decline in land area was observed in Dibru Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve (37.6%), Kaziranga National Park (5%) and Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary (22.4%), a little increase in area occurred in Orang National Park (8.9%) and Pani Dihing Wildlife Sanctuary (4.8%). Analyses of equidistant reaches and grids displayed explicit information on spatial variation of activities in the Protected Areas. The braided nature of the river and the annual floodings are the primary causes for regularity in erosion and accretion. Other factors that influenced the activities in specific study areas were avulsion, thalweg shift of adjacent channels, channel abandonment, catastrophic floods, location, river flow direction, confluence and node points. This study highlights the land area status and the affected zones of the Protected Areas of ecological importance and provides an understanding of the drivers that will serve as a vital input to the authorities and other stakeholders.

Documenting the land use pattern in the corridor complexes of Kaziranga National Park using high resolution satellite imagery

Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam, India, is a protected area of global prominence as it provides habitat to the largest population of the Indian Rhinoceros in the world and is also special as it has a diverse human population from different cultures surrounding the national park. Conservation and management of the park is becoming very complex with the passage of time due to a range of issues including the increase in wildlife as well as human population and developments in the adjoining areas. There is no buffer zone in the park and animals historically, have used the adjoining forests and highlands as refuge from time to time to escape the onslaught of seasonal floods. Developments and growth of human settlements have constricted the areas available for free movement of animals from and to the park in many sectors and at present there are 9 prominent tracts which are used by the animals for their movement to adjoining habitats and in many portions, both humans and wildlife use the same areas. There are at least five common complexes that are used by wildlife for their movement in and around the Kaziranga NP and detailed information regarding the land use and land cover pattern within these corridor complexes which are very vital for the security of the park, is not available. The present study uses high resolution satellite images (IRS P6 LISS IV and LISS III) for 2002 and 2013 and extensive field survey methods for documenting the pattern of the existing land use/land cover of the corridor complexes. Camera trap-based monitoring, interaction with the local people and GPS field surveys were conducted during the 2015–16 period for this study. Land use land cover change analysis and forest fragmentation map was prepared to understand the nature of anthropogenic disturbance to the forest cover of the corridor complexes. The result reveals that most of the corridor complexes have a very mixed type of land cover, which advocates very careful planning to ensure that both humans and animals use the area sustainably. The NH-37 which runs on the south of the Kaziranga National Park has become a zone of escalating developmental activities for the local population as well as the tourists. Few corridors for animal movement, which have become almost non-functional due to regular increase of anthropogenic activities in few important areas.

Animal health perceptions and challenges among smallholder farmers around Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India: A study using participatory epidemiological techniques.

Improvements to smallholder farming are essential to improvements in rural prosperity. Small farmers in the Kaziranga region of Assam operate mixed farming enterprises in a resource limited environment, which is subject to seasonal flooding. Participatory techniques, were used to elucidate the animal health challenges experienced in this landscape in order to inform and guide future animal health education and interventions. The flooding is essential for agricultural activities, but is a source of major losses and disruption. Farmers experience significant losses to their crops due to raiding by wild species such as elephants; predation of livestock by wild carnivores is also of concern. Access to veterinary services and medicines is limited by both financial and geographic constraints. Interviewees discussed nutritional and management issues such as poor availability of fodder and grazing land, while meeting attendees preferred to concentrate discussions on animal health issues. Livestock keepers were adept and consistent at describing disease syndromes. The key challenges identified by farmers were: foot-and-mouth disease; Newcastle disease; haemorrhagic septicaemia; chronic fasciolosis; diarrhoea; bloating diseases; goat pox; and sarcoptic mange. Improvements in the efficiency of farming in this region is a prerequisite for the local achievement of United Nations Sustainable development goals. There exist clear opportunities to increase productivity and prosperity among farmers in this region through a combination of vaccination programmes and planned animal management schemes, driven by a programme of participatory farmer education.

Mitochondrial D-loop Genetic Diversity Studies of Rhinoceros unicornis in Assam, India

In Assam wild populations of great Indian rhinoceros are found in three protected areas namely Kaziranga National Park, Orange National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. But it remains an area of investigation whether these three populations are homogeneous or not. To resolve this matter present genetic study was performed on mitochondrial DNA control region by using non invasive dung samples collected from the three natural habitats. The study showed a high level of genetic diversity of rhinoceros population in three habitats of Assam with 24 haplotypes from 196 samples and 21 variable sites in 413bp long nucleotide sequences was recorded. The Fst value also showed differences between the groups; and significant values obtained between Kaziranga and Pobitora with Orang groups. AMOVA analyses revealed the total genetic diversity is 91.62% and diversity between populations is only 8.38%. Thus the higher genetic variability found in Indian rhinoceros populations is important for future survivability, management and translocation to new habitat.