ANNOUNCEMENTS
To protect the forests resources of large number of fauna and flora, WWF-India with the help of local communities in Western Arunachal Pradesh, developed seven Community Conserved Areas for the conservation of forests and these are managed by the local communities. Mandala-Phudung –Khellong Community conserved area, CCA of West Kameng District having 115 sq. km was formed in April 2018, with the help of WWF-India. People of MPKCCA are majorly dependent upon agriculture and forests. The concept of Community based conservation of forests ensures sustainable existence of nature and human society. Red panda is one of the endemic species of temperate forest and indicate health of the forests. It inhabits the eastern Himalayan states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal in India, with Arunachal Pradesh, housing the largest extent of the species.
The study was focused on the conservation of red panda in Mandala-Phudung-Khellong Community Conserved Area (MPKCCA). The study was also purposed to understand the dependency of community people and to provide conservation measure to the community people for the sustainable use of forest resources.
In this study, direct or indirect evidence sign survey was conducted to assess the status of red panda. Area of CCA was divided into grids of specific size. Animals and human trails were used for the evidence sign survey. For the evidence survey scat of animals was used to determine the relative abundance of red panda in MPKCCA and encounter rate was estimated. Apart from that Vegetation survey was also conducted to understand the habitat use of red panda. IVI (Importance Value Index) of the trees CCA and abundant species in red panda presence plots was estimated.
Questionnaire survey with community people and labours was conducted to understand their dependency on forests and to understand the challenges of conservation in MPKCCA. People of MPKCCA showed their preference to conserve the forest and suggested some alternatives to reduce their dependency.
Keywords: Red Panda, Community Conserved Area, Conservation Measures, Habitat Preference, Forest Dependency
