Source: CSRJ
Subject: Mapping
Context: A new species of gecko, named Cyrtodactylus raimonaensis, has been discovered in a forest fragment near Assam’s Kokrajhar district, close to the Raimona National Park.
About Raimona National Park:
What it is?
- Raimona National Park is a critical conservation area in India that serves as a gateway to the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. It was notified as Assam’s sixth national park in 2021 and is integral to the Golden Langur conservation
Located in:
- District: It is spread across the Gossaigaon subdivision of the Kokrajhar district in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Assam.
- Connectivity: It lies roughly 53 km from Kokrajhar and 253 km from the state capital, Guwahati.
History:
- Notification: The park was officially declared a National Park on World Environment Day, June 5, 2021.
- Transition: Prior to its status as a National Park, the area was part of the Ripu Reserved Forest, which suffered from decades of insurgency and habitat degradation.
- Conservation Milestone: Its creation marked a significant shift toward restoring ecological stability in the westernmost part of Assam.
Key Geographical Features:
- Transboundary Landscape: Together with Bhutan’s Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve, it forms a massive transboundary conservation landscape exceeding 2,400 km².
- Topography: The park is nestled in the southern foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, characterized by an altitude ranging from a low of 85 meters to a high of 1042 meters above sea level.
- Hydrology: It is bounded by the Sankosh River in the west and the Saralbhanga River in the east, which contribute to its moist, shaded habitats and perennial streams.
- Ecosystem: The park comprises Himalayan Moist Mixed Deciduous forests, Terai-Duar savanna, and evergreen forest patches, providing a variety of niches for nocturnal fauna like the newly discovered gecko.
Significance:
- Biodiversity Hotspot: Located at the confluence of the India-Burma and Eastern Himalayan hotspots, it hosts species found nowhere else on earth.
- Home of the Golden Langur: The park is one of the most vital habitats for the Golden Langur, an endangered primate endemic to this specific region.
- Elephant Corridor: It serves as a crucial corridor for the movement of Asian elephants between the plains of Assam and the hills of Bhutan.
