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Site description (2004 baseline):

The Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary (642 ha) is on the slopes of Saramati Mountain. Fakim-Saramati is c. 30 km from the nearest township Pungro, which lies in Kiphire sub division of Tuensang district. The Sanctuary was constituted for the protection of Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii. The topography of the whole Sanctuary is montane, with undisturbed pristine forest. Several nullahs and streams intersect the area. Saramati Mountain is on the Indo-Myanmar international boundary and is an extensive wilderness with excellent subtropical and temperate forest (Choudhury 2002).

AVIFAUNA: Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary and the Saramati Mountains bear some of the remnant pristine forests of Nagaland. Being remote and inaccessible, these areas have not been explored by many scientists, and very little information is available on the avifauna. This is one of the IBA sites where Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae is found in India, probably in low numbers due to dense primary forest (Choudhury 2001, 2002). It is widely distributed in the hills of southern and eastern Nagaland (Choudhury 2002). Blyth’s Tragopan is common in this IBA (Choudhury 2001). Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis, a globally threatened species considered as Vulnerable by BirdLife International (2001), is also found in small numbers (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2003). Fakim-Saramati comes under the Eastern Himalayas Endemic Bird Area. Analysis by BirdLife International has shown that a very high proportion of the world’s endemic birds occur in a small proportion of the land area. EBAs are important hotspots for the conservation of bird diversity. Fakim-Saramati and other IBAs in the northeast are such hotspots. Choudhury (2001) has identified 487 species of birds from the whole of Nagaland. Due to the altitudinal variation from 2,000 m to 3,842 m, Fakim- Saramati falls in two biomes – Biome-7 (Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest, from c. 1,800-3,600 m) and Biome-8 (Sino- Himalayan Subtropical Forest, 1,000-2,000 m). About 207 species of birds are listed in these biomes. Many of these are listed by Choudhury (2001) in his Nagaland checklist, but we do not know how many occur in Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary and Saramati area. This site has been included as a potential IBA, and further studies on the bird life are required.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: Sumatran Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis was recorded in the past (Choudhury 1997). Presently Tiger Panthera tigris, Leopard P. pardus, Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Golden Cat Catopuma temmincki, are the felines recorded. Primates are represented by the Assamese Macaque Macaca assamensis, Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta, Stump-tailed macaque Macaca arctoides, Pig-tailed macaque Macaca nemestrina, Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileata, Hoolock Gibbon Hylobates hoolock, and Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang. Wild Dog Cuon alpinus and Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus are also reported.Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Sambar Cervus unicolor, Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak, Gaur Bos frontalis, Goral Nemorhaedus goral and Serow Nemorhaedus sumatraensis are the major ungulates. There are no published record of the reptile and amphibian fauna of this area.

MAIN THREATS: Hunting.

Fakim-Saramati, within the Saramati Mountain range, is a large tract of forest bordering Myanmar. The entire range has not been fully explored yet and it is a likely habitat for many important species of Indo-Malayan origin, including the Sumatran Rhino. The area is not accessible by road, so it is protected naturally. Hunting by tribals is the main threat.

Key contributors: Anwaruddin Choudhury, Khekiho Shohe and Thomas Kent.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary and Saramati area (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/fakim-wildlife-sanctuary-and-saramati-area-iba-india on 22/11/2024.