A CONSERVATION PLEA FOR SAVING WILDLIFE IN THE LANDSCAPE BOUND BY GOLA, LADHIYA AND SHARADA RIVERS, NORTH INDIA

摘要

of the scenic, neglected but promising landscapes for large mammals in India is in the eastern part of Uttarakhand. This landscape spreading over an area of nearly 1,200 sq. km includes the entire Haldwani Forest Division (FD) comprising of Nandhour,Danda, North Jaulasal, Chhakata and Sharada forest ranges; the Dogari and Boom forest ranges of Champawat FD and Kishanpur, Ransali, Jaulasal south and Kilpura ranges of Terai East FD (Fig. 1). Abutting ranges of Champawat FD (Bhingrada and Champawat) and Bharon range of Nainital FD, just north of Ladhiya and Gola rivers, are not included in this conservation planning though they are contiguous to the landscape. Those who have trekked here would concur with us that the mountainous parts of this landscape (Haldwani and Champawat FDs) are the most beautiful locales in the entire outer Himalayan range. Corbett (1944, 1954) has written about this hilly region in his accounts on Chowgarh tigers, Talla-Des, Chuka and Thak man-eaters. We had the pleasure ofwalking 130 km across this landscape: 60 km from Manch to Thuligad via Chuka and Thak in December 2005 and 70 km from Dalkania (Chowgarh tigers were shot here) to Chorgalia and Kalonia in January 2006. This landscape was once part of a much wider continuous landscape that existed all along the foot-hills of Himalaya (Toovey 1987). Isolation of this landscape was as a result of uncontrolled boulder mining in Gola river, townships, encroachments and other developments in the terai part of the landscape.