The Forests of Arunachal Pradesh constitutes a major portion of Eastern Himalayan, ‘Global Biodiversity Hotspot’ with immensely rich floral and faunal species including as many Endemic species. The State of Arunachal Pradesh has 66,431 sq.km of area under forest and tree cover which is 79.63% of its total geographic area as per the Forest Survey of India’s Status of Forest Report-2021. This makes the Arunachal Pradesh as the second largest State having highest forest cover in the country in terms of percentage of its total geographic area. Out of total forest cover, it has a Protected Area Network (PAN) of an area of 9,779 Sq. km. which is around 11.90% of the geographical area of the State (19.37 % of the Forest area of State) against a national average of around 4% geographical area. There are 13 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 2 National Parks, 3 Tiger Elephant Reserves, 2 Elephant Reserves, 9 Community Reserves and 1 Biosphere Reserve in the State of Arunachal Pradesh.
Further, the state of Arunachal Pradesh is one of the major biodiversity hotspots of the country having about 20% of the Country’s fauna including, Mammals: 210 species, Primates: 10 species, Birds: 850species, Reptiles: 115 species, Amphibians: 50 species, Fishes: 215 species and Butterflies: 900 species. And the State is also having about 25% floral species, including flowering plants: about 5000 species, Rhododendrons: 75species, Medicinal plants: 500 species, Bamboos: 45species, Canes (Rattans): 17species, Timber yielding trees: 45species, Orchids: 600 species.
With a view to conserve the total range of wildlife available in the state, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has declared several areas, having significant ecological, geomorphologic and biodiversity value, as Community Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks. The details are as under:
| Sl. No. | Name of the Protected Area | Total area (in sq.km) |
|---|---|---|
| A. Wildlife Sanctuaries | ||
| 1 | Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary | 861.95 |
| 2 | Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary | 783.00 |
| 3 | Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary | 217.00 |
| 4 | Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary | 281.50 |
| 5 | Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary | 4149.00 |
| 6 | Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary | 190.00 |
| 7 | Kane Wildlife Sanctuary | 31.00 |
| 8 | Yordi Rabe SupseWildlife Sanctuary | 397.00 |
| 9 | Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary | 140.30 |
| 10 | Tale Wildlife Sanctuary | 337.00 |
| 11 | Sessa Orchid Wildlife Sanctuary | 100.00 |
| 12 | Ringba-RobaWildlife Sanctuary | 49.20 |
| 13 | Kamala Wildlife Sanctuary | 77.61 |
| B. National Parks | ||
| 1) | Namdapha National Park | 1985.24 |
| 2) | Mouling National Park | 483.00 |
| C. Tiger Reserves | ||
| 1) | Namdapha Tiger Reserve | 1985.24 |
| Pakke Tiger Reserve | 861.95 | |
| Kamlang Tiger Reserve | 783.00 | |
| D. Elephant Reserves | ||
| 1) | Kameng Elephant Reserve | 1892.00 |
| 2) | Southern Arunachal Elephant Reserve | 1957.50 |
Zoological Park forms an integral part of ex-situ wildlife conservation and fulfill
the objective to showcase the animals for education and awareness of general public,
carrying out scientific studies on endangered species and captive breeding of such
species so as to maintain their gene pool.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the varied agro-climatic zones necessitate the setting up
of these ex-situ conservation centre across different zones to keep the captive
animals in as natural a habitat as possible. There are 4 (four) recognized zoological
parks in Arunachal Pradesh;
The zoos and rescue centres in the state are located at vantage points and have over the years contributed a lot in creating awareness about the lesser-known Himalayan animals.
