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Site description (2004 baseline):

This is a very old sanctuary, established on Ramnagar ridge by the erstwhile Maharaja of Kashmir, nearly 5 decades ago. It is situated north of Jammu city. The Jammu-Srinagar national highway passes through the western side of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is roughly wedge-shaped and located in the Kar Nullah which ultimately drains into Tawi river. The topography ranges from gently undulating to very steep cliffs. The forest is a part of the Lower Siwaliks, hence it is important for many Biome restricted species. An important shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located close to the Sanctuary, and visited by millions of pilgrims, but due to neglect of this area by the Forest Department, most of the visitors are not aware that they are near a Sanctuary. The area is covered with mixed scrub forest with occasional Chir Pinus trees. The vegetation of the Sanctuary as per the revised classification by Champion and Seth (1968) comes under the major group “Subtropical Northern Mixed Dry Deciduous Forests”. A variety of Subtropical broadleaf trees and shrubs are found in the Sanctuary, dominant among them being Acacia modesta. Some of the species found in this Sanctuary are Acacia arabica, Acacia catachu, Adhatoda vasica Adina coardifolia, Aegle marmelos, Albizzia lebbeck, Bauhinia purpurea, Bombax ceiba, Dalbergia sissoo and Ziziphus mauritiana.

AVIFAUNA: Based on preliminary investigations, 37 species of birds have been found in this Sanctuary. Among pheasants, Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus, Kaleej Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos and Peafowl Pavo cristatus are notable. Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus is quite common. The species of conservation interest are Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris. This site has been selected as a potential habitat for Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest biome species. In India, it is the westernmost point of this type of forest.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: This dry deciduous forest harbours Leopard Panthera pardus as the major predator. Despite disturbance, it survives due to its nocturnal habit and elusive nature. Its main natural prey species are Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak, Cheetal Axis axis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa and Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus. Jackal Canis aureus and Jungle Cat Felis chaus are smaller predators. Nonhuman primates recorded are Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta and Common Langur Semnopithecus entellus. According to the new classification of Langurs by Groves (2001), the ‘new species’ found in Ramnagar would be S. ajax.

MAIN THREATS: Livestock Grazing; Encroachment.

Over-grazing by livestock is the major problem and the pressure increases during winter when nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals come down from the higher reaches with their herds of goats and sheep. To provide food to goats, lopping of palatable species is rampant, resulting in total degradation of the forest. As the Sanctuary is close to the growing Jammu city, it is under constant threat from encroachment. Due to degradation of the habitat, streams run dry just after the monsoon. There is no natural source of water as most of the pools have silted up or been occupied by itinerant graziers. Fortunately, the Forest Department is able to control incidents of fire and poaching. The Sanctuary is almost surrounded by villages, especially on its southern side. Eco-development activities need to be initiated to reduce anthropogenic pressure on the forest resources (Hussein 1999-2000). The villagers should also be involved in joint forest management. Thousands of people enjoy walking in the Sanctuary every day, but they do not contribute to its upkeep in any way. They could be asked to pay and also be involved in its protection.

Key contributor: Tahir Shawl.

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