Securing the Future for Elephants in India - Ministry of Environment ...

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and
Gorumara National Park and (c) The eastern Dooars stretch between Torsa
and Sankosh river that adjoins Assam and Bhutan and comprises the
forests of Cooch Behar Forest Division and Buxa Tiger Reserve (Barua and
Bist 1995).
Both, the terai and the western Dooars are patchy (human habitation and
tea gardens interspersed with forests) through which regular elephant
movement occurs. The future of over 85-100 elephants between the Teesta
and Torsa rivers is uncertain, mainly due to fragmentation of forest areas
in Baikunthapur, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar Forest Division.
The elephants are compelled to move through tea gardens, villages and
agricultural field resulting in increased conflicts. It is also important to
protect the elephant corridor between Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and
Baikunthapur Forest Division along the Teesta River by relocating the
illegal human settlements (Nayabasti) along this corridor. There is also
need to re-establish the corridor between North Diana forest and Rheti
forest which serves as a link path for herds in the Tonda and Titi forests
(Tiwari, 2005).
This Northern West Bengal population is connected to the Greater Manas
population through the Buxa-Ripu elephant corridor linking Buxa Tiger
Reserve to Manas Tiger Reserve. Due to large-scale encroachment and tree
felling in Kochugaon Forest Division and other areas of Kokrajhar and
Bongaigaon districts, elephant movement between Buxa Tiger Reserve
(northern West Bengal) and Manas National Park (Assam) has been
severely affected.
3. Kameng-Sonitpur Landscape
In eastern Assam, the range covers part of the floodplains of Brahmaputra
and Lohit river.
In 1970, due to clearing of a strip of about 20 km in the Dibang valley of
Arunachal Pradesh for cultivation and habitation, the elephant population
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