Nambor: The Shrunken Green Treasure

Seema Nath
At the time when conservation of bio-diversity for the very existence of mankind is the buzz word
everywhere, species in Nambor are in great peril as they face threats of extinction everyday. The forest that had
once covered a total area of 875 square miles has now been reduced to one tenth. The disastrous consequences
of this sharp shrinking of the green treasure can be well imagined on the bio-diversity of the region.
Nambor is one of the botanically rich forests of the world and is linked to the far-flung branches of the
Himalayas. It had been the store house of a rich bio-diversity with specie of different plants and orchids, some
of which are endemic to the region. It is a unique reserve of plant species right from the most primitive ones
such as psitotum nudum to the most advanced ones like the members of Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, evolving
through the process of evolution. Hence, the forest is considered as an ideal place for research on the evolution
of plants.
Considering its importance, the then British Government notified it as a’ Reserve Forest’ with a total
area of 875 square miles way back in 1872. Thus it hails the glory of being the first reserve of the state. The
unparalleled richness of the forest drew special attention of the British Government. The Government in order
to guard and protect the forest set up three forest villages. In 1952, to develop the then Mikir Hills, now known
as the district of Karbi-Anglong, the forest was divided into two parts- one falling in the district of Karbi-
Anglong and the other in Sibsagar, then undivided and the rivers Dhansiri and Nambor were demarcated as the
boundary between the two. To develop the part in Karbi-Anglong further, the Garampani Wild Life Sanctuary
was created the same year with an area of 6.4 square kilometer. This sanctuary with a major Hot Water Spring,
as the name Garampani itself suggests is the shelter of many endangered specie of birds and animals. A few
years later, in 1965, the part of the forest in Sibsagar was also divided into two parts viz. Nambor North and
Nambor South for better management. However, in 2000, Nambor North had been renamed as Nambor Wild
Life Sanctuary with a total area of 37 square kilometer and Nambor South was renamed as Nambor-Doigrung
Wild Life Sanctuary in 2003 with an area of 97 square kilometer. Thus, the forest that had covered an area of
875 square miles at the time of its first notification now exists with only 140 square kilometer. The rest have
been encroached totally.
The shrunken cover of the forest has already cast a spell on its bio-diversity. The most primitive vascular
plant such as Psitotum nudum that had been found in abundance once is now hardly seen in the forest.
The rare and endangered species that were once found in abundance in Nambor are Venilla pilifera,
Anaectochilas sikimensis, Acanthephipium sylhetense, Apostasianuda, Apostesia wallichii, Schizia digitat,
Angiopteris evacata, Psitotum nudum, Lycopodium, Phlegmeria, gnetum gnemon, Gnetum montanum,
Pierasma javanica, Mangifera sylvetica, Balanophora deoica, Dischidia nafflesiana etc. Specie of plants such
as Entada

phasealoides (Ghila), Caesalpinia spinosa (Lotaguti), Oroxylum indica ( Bhat Ghila), Mersua ferrea (Nahar),
Tetramcles nudiflora (Veleu), Bombax ceiba ( Simalu), Astomia scholaries ( Chotiyona), are also facing the
threats of extinction. Besides the forest had a rich variety of Orchids and ferns some of which are totally
endemic. These orchids have high demand in the international market. Their demand has made them smuggle
out in the international market which in turn has led to their extinction.
The wide cover of this forest provided a good shelter for a large number of animals, birds and reptiles.
The endangered birds such as great pies hornbill (Dhanesh), Wreathed hornbill (Tekteki), Indian Pied Hornbill,
Adjutant Stork, Black or King Vulture, Hilly Mayna, Parrot, Hawk, Wood Peeker, Green Pigeon Golden Oriole
that were the habitants of this forest are hardly seen now. It has been reported that only a pair of Hawks is left in
the forest which is rarely sighted even by the forest guards. All these species that were found in abundant are all
on the verse of extinction as the forest can no longer provide them with sufficient food and the kind of shelter
these species need for their survival.
Nambor was rich in animal and reptile species too. Endangered animals found in the forest are-
Elephant, Tiger, Beer, Hoolok Gibbon, Slow Loris, Capped Languor, Stamped Tail Macaque, Samber, Civet
Cat, Hog Deer, Barking Deer and Porcupine while the endangered Reptiles found were Python, Water Monitor
Lizard, Common Monitor Lizard, King Cobra, Ant-eater etc.. Loss of habitat has led many of these specie either
to migrate to some other forests or to face extinction. Since the last 20 years, no tusker has been sighted in the
forest. Their shrunken habitat has made them come out to the streets for food and it is a common sight of
elephant lining up for food from the passers by on the 39 N.H. that passes through the forest. Loss of habitat has
also made them come out to the nearby villages in search of food which in turn has led to the man-elephant
conflict in recent years.
Though there is a good population of leopard in the forest, the number of tigers available in the forest is
not known as no proper survey on the population of tiger in this forest has been done. It is worth mentioning
here that the tigers captured by the department of Forest are set free by the Rescue Centre of Bokakhat here at
Nambor. It is nothing but a sheer negligence of the Government that the number of Black Panther available in
the forest is also not known. The animal that added grandeur to the forest has not been sighted in the forest for
long.
The forest had a good population of Beer. But due to the shrunken habitat, they have migrated to the
Takau Pahar, a nearby hill in the district of Karbi Anglong. It is noteworthy that the Beer feeds mainly on the
insects found in the heaps of leaves deposited under the trees. With the shrunken green cover the heaps of fallen
leaves are not sufficient to shelter insects for the Beer to feed on. Apart from this, the reduction in the number
of Tetrameles nudiflora (Veleu), a kind of tall tree on which the wild Bees make hives has also made the Beer
to shift to the new habitat. As such not a single Beer has been sighted in the forest for long. The Stamped Tail
Macaque is likely to extinct from the forest as the forest can no longer provide the shelter this species needs to
hide itself in times of danger.

Large scale deforestation and massive encroachment are the reasons behind the depletion of this forest
cover. The availability of valuable timbers with high prices in the timber market has led to a sudden spurt in the
deforestation of the forest. A good earning through the smuggling of timber, without much hard labour had
paved the way for the destruction of this forest. The order of the Supreme Court banning the chopping of trees
and the closure of the sow mills, the penalties under the Forest Act of 1972 of the Govt. of India - all stood far
behind. Besides, almost 90% of the forest has also been encroached and the Government. could hardly take a
single eviction drive to save the forest and its varied diversity.
With all these, ecological disaster looms large in the forest. It has already cast an adverse impact on the
ecological balance of the region. The forest, once dark, deep and thick with tall trees and shrubs, released
sufficient moisture to the air for which there was plenty of rainfall in the nearby rain-shadow areas of Borpather
and Sarupather. The area had earned a name in the state in paddy cultivation and was considered the granary of
the district. But reduction of Nambor has made drought a common phenomenon and bad harvest has become the
buzz word to the once rich farmers of the area. Massive deforestation has also eroded the soil making the river
beds shallow. As a result, flood has become more disastrous to the region.
Nambor awaits a bleak future. So long conservation of bio-diversity remains a slogan here, nothing
bright can be expected and till the time people understand the reality, there is hardly any hope of Nambor
standing the struggle of the survival of the fittest.

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Seema Nath
Residence: P.W. D. Colony Road,
Near Circuit House, Golaghat,
Dist & P.O. Golaghat,
PIN: 785 621 (ASSAM)