Itanagar, Sep 24 A camera-trapping initiative has been launched in New Tupi village’s community forest in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh to document and monitor wildlife, a move aimed at strengthening community-led biodiversity conservation.
The Hinthong Foundation, a Tirap-based non-profit organisation, has undertaken the initiative with active participation from local villagers, an official report said here on Thursday.
Around 15-20 people, including the village chief, community leaders, youth organisation president, an intern and volunteers of the foundation, took part in deploying the cameras.
Former Tirap Deputy Commissioner and Hinthong Foundation adviser Techu Aran also joined the team.
The camera traps have been installed at selected locations to record wildlife movement without disturbing animals in their natural habitat. The exercise aims to help identify the species inhabiting the forest and provide scientific information for future conservation efforts.
The initiative was led by Hinthong Foundation co-founders and conservationists Chajo Lowang and Sara Khongsai, who have been working in biodiversity conservation for the past five years with an emphasis on involving local communities.
Several signs of wildlife were observed during the deployment, including footprints of wild boar and barking deer and claw marks believed to be of a Himalayan Black Bear.
The team also found areas where wild boars had been feeding, while a pangolin burrow had been spotted at another location in the forest a few days earlier.
Villagers have also reported hearing Hoolock Gibbon calls in the early morning.
Kime Obin, a field biologist with Morey Conservation Foundation and resource person for the exercise, also heard Hoolock Gibbon calls on the morning before the camera deployment.
Obin guided the team on technical aspects of camera trapping, including selection of suitable locations and installation of the equipment. The camera traps were supported by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF).
The foundation said local participation was central to the initiative, with villagers contributing their knowledge and observations of the forest and its wildlife.
The images and information collected through the cameras are expected to improve understanding of New Tupi’s biodiversity and support future conservation efforts in Tirap.
The initiative also seeks to promote greater awareness among local communities and encourage long-term stewardship of the forest.
(PTI News)
