The only new bird species to have been discovered in India since
1947, Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) has no reported sighting anywhere else in the world!
The best system of governance entails a seamless collaboration
between governments and the communities they govern, with trust being reposed
on either side. One can cite numerous examples of how such an alliance results
in better governance outcomes.
In Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district, one can witness this
form of partnership between the members of the Bugun tribal community from
Singchung village and the local Forest Department. Together, they make up the
Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management Committee (SBVCR).
The alliance was formalised in January 2017, and earlier this
week, this community reserve was awarded the India Biodiversity Award in the
“Conservation of Wildlife Species” category for its effort to conserve the
critically endangered bird—Bugun liocichla.
To the uninitiated, the award is conferred by the National
Biodiversity Association, and this year it was presented by the Union
environment ministry and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The community reserve, considered a biodiversity hotspot, covers
an area of 17 square kilometres, and is adjacent to the to the Eaglesnest
Wildlife Sanctuary (EWS).
“The ten staff members (village boys) of the SBVCR [take turns
and] patrol the area every day and have already prevented several instances of
illegal road building and boulder extraction in the habitat of the Bugun
Liocichla,” Millo Tasser, divisional forest officer of EWS, told The Telegraph.
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