• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2004 baseline):

This large IBA is in western Arunachal Pradesh and is located between two IBAs, Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary to the east and Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary to the west. The site covers foothills as well as some higher hills in the Himalaya. A large number of perennial streams irrigate this IBA, and ultimately drain into the Brahmaputra river. Papum Reserve Forest forms part of the Eastern Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (Stattersfield et al. 1998). A large part of the site is covered by Sub-tropical Dry Evergreen and Semi-evergreen Forests, while the higher areas are under Subtropical Broadleaf Hill Forest cover (A. U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2003).

AVIFAUNA: This large reserve forest, with almost similar fauna and flora as Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary, was overlooked in many of the earlier surveys (Singh 1999). The White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata and Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis have been recorded in the area (A. U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2003). Three more species of hornbill are still fairly common: the Near Threatened Great Pied Buceros bicornis, Wreathed Aceros undulatus and Oriental Pied Anthracoceros albirostris. A detailed avifaunal survey is long overdue, as such a large wilderness with tropical forest, although disturbed at places, is rare.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: These include the Tiger Panthera tigris, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Gaur Bos frontalis, a small population of the rare Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee (=bubalis) and a record of the Temminck's Golden Cat Felis temminckii (Choudhury 2003).

MAIN THREATS: Encroachment; Felling of trees; Poaching; Grazing.

The major issue is encroachment and felling of trees. People are coming down from higher areas to settle along the flat lands near the Assam border. Charaching and grazing the cattle are other problems.

Key contributor: Anwaruddin Choudhury.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Papum Reserve Forest (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/papum-reserve-forest-iba-india on 23/12/2024.