Indo-Chinese and Malayan tigers

[BorneanTiger]

According to Jhala et al. (https://web.archive.org/web/201201202324...t_2010.pdf), tigers have dispersed from Myanmar to areas with contiguous forests in Northeast India:

Page 151: "The largest contiguous forested region in this landscape is over 136,000 km 2. This landscape unit commences in the north-west from Pakke Tiger Reserve through the forests of Palia, Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Mouling National Park and Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary into Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary and upto the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in the east. The landscape continues south through some degraded areas into the Intanki National Park, and further south to the Dampa Tiger Reserve and Blue Mountain National Park. The Kaziranga National Park in the Brahmaputra flood plains is connected through the Karbi-Anglong Hills to Intanki in the south. This connectivity through Karbi-Anglong is crucial for dispersal of tigers from their source population in Kaziranga. Kaziranga has almost lost its connectivity to the north (to Pakke) due to intensive agriculture on northern banks of the River Brahmaputra. Intanki National Park is also connected westwards through priority III forests upto the Balphakram National Park. This landscape has contiguous forest across the international border with Myanmar. The weak links in this landscape are the forests in the districts of Mon, Mokokchung, Tuensang, Zuheboto, Wokha, and Phek in the east. The landscape between the Balphakram National Park and Intaki National Park through the districts of Karbi-Anglong, West Khasi Hills, East Khasi Hills and East and West Garo Hills is fragmented. The major source population of tigers in this landscape are in Kaziranga and Pakke in India and dispersing tigers from Bhutan and Myanmar. This landscape holds the largest tiger population in the North-Eastern region consisting of about 125 tigers. It is connected to the southern parts of the North East Landscape via the Karbi-Anglong Hills, for which it acts as a major source. The Kaziranga population connects to the tiger population of Nameri-Pakke through riverine corridors (Fig. 4.1)."

Page 156, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh: "The Nameri Tiger Reserve is located in the Sonitpur districts of north-east Assam. It is contiguous with the Pakke Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh to its north and covers an area of 344 km2 of which 200 km2 forms the core demarcated by the Rivers Bhorali and Bordikarai. Within the Reserve are located 13 villages of which eight are forest villages with predominantly tribal population. The population of tigers is small (about 9) and is shared with Pakke. Though the area has potential for higher densities and ability to sustain a larger population of tigers, the depletion of prey by subsistence poaching as well as other anthropogenic disturbances is responsible for the current situation. Its connectivity with Kaziranga is important and needs policy and managerial inputs for its continued viability (Fig.4.AS.1.1). This complex may further be connected to the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam and the greater forest complex of Arunachal, that provides connectivity, although with high hunting pressures and insurgency problems, to the forests further east into Namdapha, Intanki and maybe even Myanmar.

The Namdapha Tiger Reserve covers an area of 1,985 km2 in the Changlang district of eastern Arunachal Pradesh. While most of the area is free of human presence, about six small patches of cultivation still exist within the Reserve covering about 25 hectares. On the peripheries of the Tiger Reserve are settlements such as Gandhigram, Deban and M’pen with mostly Lisu population. The Miao-Gandhigram road traverses 105 kilometers of the Reserve and 13 kilometers of the MiaoVijaynagar road cuts across the buffer zone of the Reseve. Hunting for cultural and subsistence reasons appears to be the greatest threat to biodiversity in this area. Namdapha Tiger Reserve is connected to the forests of Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary and further eastwards to the forests of Myanmar which is a contiguous forestpatch of 1,36,000 km2."

Burmese tiger in Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve, near the border with Northeast India: http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/s...r-reserve/

*This image is copyright of its original author

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