Namdapha National Park ranks as India’s fourth-largest national park. Namdapha National Park is located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. With approximately 1,000 floral and 1,400 faunal species, the Eastern Himalayas is a biodiversity hotspot. It also contains an abundance of dipterocarp forests. Namdapha National Park is a vast protected area covering 1,985 km2 (766 sq mi). At 27°N latitude, the national park contains the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforests in the world. It also contains vast dipterocarp woods, which make up the ecoregion’s northwestern portion.
When Namdapha National Park is declared a National Park?
Namdapha was designated a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972, a National Park in 1983, and a Project Tiger Tiger Reserve in the same year. Its name was derived from two Singpho words: “nam,” which means water, and “dapha,” which means origin; the river’s source is the Dapha Bum glaciers. This is the only national park in the world that is home to all four feline species of large cats, including the Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Clouded Leopard, as well as a variety of smaller cats.
Where is Namdapha National Park Located?
Near the international border with Myanmar, the Namdapha national park is situated in the Changlang district of the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It comprises a buffer zone of 177 km2 (68 sq mi) and a core region of 1,808 km2 (698 sq mi), for a total area of 1,985 km2 (766 sq mi). It is situated between the Dapha hum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range, with a height range of 200 to 4,571 meters (656 to 14,998 feet). It is traversed from east to west by the Noa Dihing River, which begins at the Indo-Myanmar border at the Chaukan Pass.
As elevation increases, the land cover varies from tropical evergreen forest to temperate broadleaf and mixed woodland. Secondary forests occupy 345.47 km2 (133.39 sq mi); seasonal snow falls between December and March above 2,700 m (8,500 ft). Moreover, the park contains huge bamboo woods. The location lies within both the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographic regions, resulting in a species-rich ecosystem.
Flora and Fauna of Namdapha National Park
Sapria himalayana and Balanophora are Rafflesia-related root parasites found in the region. The Striped Hairstreak was discovered in Vijaynagar, which borders Myanmar, whereas the Elusive Prince was discovered in Miao, which borders Namdapha National Park. The region’s location between the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographic zones has resulted in an abundance of species. In addition to the secondary woods, there are huge bamboo forests in the park.
Butterflies and moths
The area is exceptionally rich in Lepidoptera species. In addition to a wide range of other insects, there is an abundance of butterflies and moths here. The Elusive Prince was discovered in Miao, which is located on the outskirts of Namdapha National Park, while the Striped Hairstreak was found in Vijaynagar, which borders Myanmar. During the National Camp held by the BNHS in October 2014, a large number of uncommon species of butterflies were observed. Among these are the Kohinoor, the naga tree brown, the red caliph, the cruiser, the wizard, the fluffy tit, and the East Himalayan purple emperor.
Birds and Mammals
1990 was the year that one of the earliest papers on the birds of Namdapha was published. There are approximately 425 bird species in the park, with many more to be documented at the upper elevations. Five species of hornbills have been documented in the region. Multiple species of uncommon wren-babblers have been documented in Namdapha. In addition to laughing thrushes, parrotbills, fulvettas, shrike babblers, and scimitar babblers, there are more groups of birds.
The Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) was originally discovered and described in the park. It is endemic to the park and threatened with extinction. It was last documented in 1981 in a solitary park valley. Due to the elevation range of 300 to 4,500 m (980 to 14,760 ft) and the vegetation zones of evergreen, wet deciduous, temperate broadleaved, and coniferous forest types, as well as alpine vegetation, the park is home to a wide variety of mammal species. The park is home to four pantherine species: leopard (Panthera pardus), snow leopard (P. uncia), tiger (P. tigris), and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
Other Animals in Park
Namdapha is home to the snowy throated babbler, a rare species of babbler found exclusively in the Patkai and Mishmi Hills and surrounding parts of northern Myanmar. The rufous-necked hornbill, the green cocoa, the purple cocoa, the beautiful nuthatch, Ward’s trogon, the ruddy kingfisher, the blue-eared kingfisher, the white-tailed fish eagle, the Eurasian hobby, the pied falconet, the white-winged wood duck, the Himalayan wood-owl, the rufous-throated hill-partridge, and the white- Here, several leaf warblers, migrants such as the amur falcon, and numerous thrushes can be observed. In 1994, the first midwinter waterfowl census was undertaken in Namdapha, during which species such as the white-bellied heron, a bird that is highly endangered, were reported for the first time.
The protected region also contains dhole, Malayan sun bear, Indian wolf, and Asiatic black bear. Red panda, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, Oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang, binturong, Asian palm civet, small Indian civet, large Indian civet, masked palm civet, marbled cat, fishing cat, Asian golden cat, and two mongoose species are among the smaller carnivores. Indian elephant, wild boar, musk deer, Indian muntjac, hog deer, sambar, gaur, goral, mainland serow, takin, and bharal are examples of large herbivores. Stump-tailed macaque, slow loris, hoolock gibbon, capped langur, Assamese macaque, and rhesus macaque are among the non-human primates present.