- A latest expedition by researchers and filmmakers into Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh yielded startling outcomes, together with the identification of a number of species new to science.
- The Siang river basin hosts 12 various kinds of forests, with a range of habitats that fosters wealthy biodiversity.
- The disappearance of habitats, within the type of deforestation and improvement, are among the many greatest threats to biodiversity, conservationists say.
On July 16, 1912, the British Military printed a notification saying the success of its expedition into the guts of present-day Arunachal Pradesh. The higher reaches of the area had been a fortress for colonial forces till then, and the completion of the train was introduced with a lot celebration. “Though it proved unimaginable to discover the valley of the Dihang (present-day Siang Valley), the place it breaks by the primary mountain vary on the confines of Thibet… despite nice bodily difficulties the primary objects of the expedition have been achieved,” the notification reads.
The expedition was a punitive mission prompted by the homicide of a British officer, Noel Williamson, by the tribes dwelling within the Siang valley, known as the “Abors” (translating to “unruly”). Williamson arrived within the village of Komsing anticipating an evening’s keep however was killed for humiliating the village head on one other event. To avenge Williamson’s loss of life, British forces determined to invade the valley with two targets in thoughts: to assemble as a lot details about the area as attainable, and to “punish” these culpable in his homicide.
An almost-forgotten legacy of this brutal mission was an uncommon catalogue of animals, crops, bugs, and birds discovered within the valley. Little was identified concerning the catalogue, which surfaced a long time later whereas filmmaker Sandesh Kadur was researching for his e book, Himalaya: Mountains of Life. “I discovered that many species have been named and found round 1911 and 1913, and I believed, what was occurring 100 years in the past?” he advised Mongabay India. “I began to dig deeper after which I discovered this large 1,000-page report, and I believed to myself ‘wow, that is fascinating’.”
The report was a scientific gold mine. Led by marine biologist Stanley Kemp, the scientific element of the expedition found 14 new genera within the Siang valley. The findings described 244 amphibians, birds, bugs and one of many world’s oldest dwelling fossils – a velvet worm referred to as the onychophora. The Wildlife Institute of India called this expedition “one of the complete one-time organic, geographical and anthropological documentations ever performed for any explicit area in India.”
Much more outstanding is that, over a century later, a number of species from Kemp’s survey can nonetheless be discovered within the state, in accordance with Kadur. Starting in 2022, researchers from the Ashoka Belief for Analysis in Ecology and the Setting (ATREE) collaborated with Nationwide Geographic and Kadur’s movie manufacturing firm, Felis Creations, and retraced the route of the 1912 expedition, venturing deeper into the valley and making a fair wider file of species than earlier than.
A century after the British left the Siang valley, it stays a sanctuary. On the horizon, nevertheless, a big dam venture and different adjustments in land use threaten to change the panorama perpetually.
The Siang valley
The Siang river, upstream from Assam the place it turns into the Brahmaputra, served because the compass for each expeditions. It’s the greatest of Arunachal Pradesh’s seven main rivers and flows freely by its whole 293.9-kilometre stretch. The river was a major migratory route for the Adi tribe (referred to as the Abors by the British), who descended from Tibet generations in the past and settled alongside the river valley.
“Not like different locations in northeast India, the British have been comparatively absent in Arunachal Pradesh. Other than the Abor expedition, there’s been just about no sustained biodiversity assessments in any respect on this area,” mentioned Sanjay Sondhi, a naturalist and founding father of conservation NGO Titli Belief. He contributed to the brand new expedition’s findings on moths and butterflies.
The 2022 expedition into the Siang was not solely a chance to reclaim colonial historical past, but additionally to make up for all of the misplaced time wherein systematic biodiversity analysis remained absent. The Siang river system is especially attention-grabbing. The river traverses elevations starting from 100 metres to five,800 metres and the river basin hosts 12 different types of forests, together with tropical semi-evergreen forests, alpine scrub forests, moist temperate forests and alpine pastures.
It’s due to this range of habitats that the Siang valley fosters wealthy biodiversity. Over a number of journeys made between 2022 and 2024, the most recent expedition recorded a staggering variety of species – greater than 1,500 – over an expanse protecting the Higher Siang, Siang, and East Siang districts. These species included mammals, reptiles, birds, crops, bugs, molluscs, and fish that have been recorded by a crew of 25 researchers, digicam individuals, and subject assistants.
A lot of the analysis from the expedition is but to be printed, however research which have emerged to this point reveal new info about species behaviour, habitats, and ecosystem providers supplied by the Siang river. Take, for instance, the Paraparatrechina neela – a tiny, two-millimetre lengthy ant present in a tree trunk gap, whose exoskeleton shines an excellent electrical blue. Metallic blue ants are a rarity anyplace on this planet, and this distinctive bodily look is probably going an evolutionary trait to ward off prey. The expedition additionally yielded discoveries of species new to science, akin to 4 new species of the Darwin wasp subfamily (Microleptinae).
However among the many extra outstanding findings is the rediscovery of the velvet worm, the onychophora. “This historical species goes again 170 million years, and it’s not identified from anyplace else in India besides on this tiny nook,” mentioned Kadur, including, “It connects India to the remainder of the world, biologically and biogeographically, because it was a part of the traditional Pangaea. And what’s superb is it hasn’t actually developed a lot since that point.”
The crew additionally discovered evidence of the Siang river as a migratory hall for birds just like the frequent crane, by no means seen earlier than to be travelling throughout the river in giant hoards of 300 people. “We principally recorded the return journeys of the frequent crane, which occurs when they’re going again to the northern Arctic Circle. These birds have been by no means reported from the Siang valley earlier than, and it establishes the Siang valley as an vital migratory hall,” mentioned Rajkamal Goswami, Fellow in Residence at ATREE’s Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation. Goswami was a part of the expedition crew that focussed on how human interactions formed biodiversity within the Valley.
At a time when insect populations have plummeted by 45% globally over the previous 40 years, and most hen populations in India are on the decline, the Siang expedition’s findings are vital. “Through the Siang expedition and in subsequent visits, we’ve recorded round 400 completely different species of birds,” mentioned Goswami, including, “For perspective, the state of Meghalaya has 600 birds. India’s complete hen inhabitants is one thing like 1,300. Round 30% of the nation’s hen inhabitants could be discovered on this single valley.”
A threatened panorama
Arunachal Pradesh is the least densely populated state in India, with simply 17 individuals per sq. kilometre, in accordance with the 2011 census. Regardless of its small inhabitants, adjustments in land use and enormous improvement initiatives might completely alter the Siang panorama.
Traditionally, these areas have practiced jhum (shifting) cultivation, significantly in larger elevations. Because the Nineteen Seventies, the state authorities launched schemes to discourage jhum in favour of settled cultivation. Schemes such because the Jhum Management Scheme and the centrally-sponsored Know-how Mission on Agriculture and Nationwide Horticulture Missions additionally inspired dwelling gardens and the cultivation of fruits, aromatics, flowers, and greens. Settled cultivation tripled in area between the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Nineties, in accordance with an agriculture survey.
Whereas paddy cultivation is frequent alongside the banks of the river, blended cultivation and orchards with fruits like orange are more and more frequent on the hillslopes. The biennial Indian State of Forest Report additionally exhibits appreciable deforestation within the districts alongside the Siang river. In 2019, the districts of East, West, and Higher Siang noticed a mixed deforestation charge of 75% in comparison with 2017. Between 2021 and 2023, forest loss in East Siang, Decrease Siang, and West Siang decreased by one other 32% , whereas Higher Siang district noticed a progress in forest cowl by 2.45% over the identical interval.
“The most important risk proper now could be the disappearance of habitat,” mentioned Goswami. “So long as habitat is there, animals can get better from different threats like searching, as a result of inhabitants density is comparatively a lot decrease in Arunachal Pradesh. If habitats are usually not transformed to money crop, agriculture or huge infrastructure initiatives, animals and different species can nonetheless bounce again.”
One other looming risk over the panorama is the 11,200-megawatt (MW) Higher Siang Multipurpose Mission, a dam whose building would sink the district headquarter of Yingkiong and alter the river’s movement dynamics perpetually. An outdated cumulative impact assessment of 44 proposed dams alongside the Siang river mentioned silt trapped within the reservoirs of dams would “deprive the downstream Siang river ecosystem of upkeep supplies and vitamins that assist in sustaining the productiveness of Siang and Siyom river ecosystems.”
Populations of vital migratory fish species just like the golden mahseer – an endangered fish with a golden hue that may develop as much as 2.74 meters in measurement – are susceptible to depleting significantly, in accordance with the cumulative affect evaluation. The golden mahseer swims upstream alongside Siang river in April and Might, and makes use of the river’s tributaries for breeding, feeding and as refuge location.
Rising neighborhood conserved areas
Within the face of the anthropogenic pressures going through the Siang valley, residents of Gobuk in Higher Siang district try to forge a path forward. Since 2022, an NGO led by residents of the village, Epum Sirum Welfare Society (ESWS), together with Titli Belief, are making a mannequin of community-based conservation to safeguard the world’s wildlife.
Within the 1912 expedition, a number of uncommon species of butterflies have been recorded, together with one referred to as the darkish freak (Calinaga aborica) in 1915 – an endemic butterfly with brown and white patterned wings and a pink physique. For a century this species hadn’t been seen anyplace, save for one likelihood sighting made by Sondhi of Titli Belief in 2015, in western Arunachal Pradesh.
Unbeknownst to them, the residents of Gobuk had been dwelling amongst tons of of darkish freak butterflies of their backyards. “Earlier than we discovered about how uncommon these butterflies have been, we by no means actually paid consideration,” mentioned Anand Tekseng, a resident of Gobuk and member of the ESWS, the place he works as a river information. The residents have been made conscious of the worth of those butterflies – and the opposite wildlife within the space – by workshops with Sondhi. “In 2022, we have been searching for alternatives to begin a neighborhood conserved space venture. After we reached Gobuk, we realised the Epum Sirum had been engaged with related work and have been searching for extra help. They’ve been incredible companions,” Sondhi mentioned.
The Adi are a searching tribe, the place rituals are thought of incomplete with out sport. However over a span of two and a half years, residents say searching has decreased significantly. “We used to hunt extensively, whether or not it was squirrels, bear, deer, or birds,” mentioned Dengwan Miyo, one other resident who isn’t a member of the NGO. “We solely hunt for a couple of festivals now. Many individuals have given up. It’s change into a matter of pleasure for us that folks come from so distant to see what our village has,” he mentioned.
The darkish freak (Calinaga aborica) is now a flagship of the village, and residents are constructing alternatives for ecotourism across the sightings of this species and the handfuls of others which are discovered there, just like the pink lacewing (Cethosia biblis), blue peacock (Papilio arcturus), and the nice nawab (Polyura eudamippus).
With help from Royal Enfield, Gobuk hosted its first Biodiversity Meet final 12 months, incomes round Rs. 10 lakhs from paying visitors who travelled to the village and stayed in newly arrange homestays to see the butterflies. Gobuk was praised by chief minister Pema Khandu for its method to conservation. Pamphlets with images of moths and butterflies – taken by residents and Titli Belief collectively – have been distributed to guests and put in within the village’s library.
Close to Mouling Nationwide Park in Higher Siang, ATREE too is collaborating with villages to construct community-led conservation areas. The Park is positioned deep within the Higher Siang district with out an all-weather highway, slicing the world off throughout the monsoons. “What we’re aiming to do is definitely forestall future biodiversity loss as soon as the world turns into higher related,” Rajkamal mentioned. Researchers from ATREE are encouraging villages close to the Park to work with the understaffed forest division and patrol the Park’s borders and foster a way of possession over its pure assets.
“The jury continues to be out on whether or not community-conserved areas are efficient, as a result of there are so few in Arunachal Pradesh,” mentioned Sondhi. “However what are the options? Handing land over to the federal government, whose forest departments are understaffed, isn’t at all times efficient. Massive infrastructure initiatives find yourself hurting communities essentially the most. We’re nonetheless studying a lot concerning the Siang panorama. What higher approach ahead than to empower communities to take part on this studying too?”
Learn extra: Named after their habitats, three new frogs add to Arunachal’s biodiversity
Banner picture: Expedition members accumulate samples of moths and different bugs. Picture by Sandesh Kadur/Felis Pictures (CC BY-ND 4.0).
