Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary

Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Champhai district in eastern Mizoram, northeast India. It is an alpine forest and contains the second highest peak in Mizoram. It is specially a conservation interest on rare species of birds.[1] It was declared a protected area in 1999,[2][3] and a national wildlife sanctuary by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests on 31 May 2001.[4]

Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary
Map of India
Locationnear the Myanmar border in Champhai District, India
Nearest cityNgopa
Coordinates23°50′00″N 93°13′00″E
Area120 km2 (46 sq mi)
Established1999
Governing bodyDepartment of Environment and Forests, Government of Mizoram

Geography

Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Champhai district, only a few kilometres from Indo-Burma border and north of Murlen National Park. It lies adjacent to the village Lamzawl, and the nearest town is Ngopa. Selam village is within the sanctuary. It is at an altitude of 400-2,141 m asl. It covers an area of 12,000 ha (30,000 acres). It consists of several mountain peaks, and one of them is the second highest in all of Mizoram. Vegetation types are tropical evergreen forest and sub-tropical montane forest.[1]

Vegetation

Lengteng is densely covered with evergreen and semi-evergreen trees. Major trees are Quercus leucotrichophora, Lithocarpus dealbata, Schima wallichii, Lyonia ovalifolia and Vaccinium sprengelii. Common herbs are Ageratum adenophorum, Maesa indica and Eurya cerasifolia.[5]

Wildlife

Lengteng is home to a variety of animal species including birds. The most notable birds are the dark-rumped swift, grey sibia, Mrs. Hume's pheasant, grey peacock pheasant, Oriental pied hornbill, rufous-bellied eagle, and white-naped yuhina.[6][7] Blyth’s tragopan was also reported from a survey in 2011.[8][9] Common animal species include tiger, leopard, sambar deer, barking deer, goral, serow, hoolock gibbon, rhesus macaque and wild boars.[10] An IUCN-classified vulnerable species of primate, northern pig-tailed macaque is reported here.[11]

Conservation

Lengteng was declared a national wildlife sanctuary by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The administration is under the state government through the Department of Environment and Forests.[4] There had long been conservation problems among the native inhabitants such as villagers of Kawlbem, who had religious tradition of hunting wild animals for New Year feasts. The practised was stopped in 2010 under pressure from the government.[12]

References
  1. "Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary". Birdlife International. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  2. "Protected Area Network in India" (PDF). Ministry of Environment and Forests. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  3. Kathayat, JS (24 January 2011). "LIST OF PROTECTED AREAS IN MIZORAM" (PDF). National Wildlife Database Cell. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. "Protected areas". Department of Environment & Forests, Government of Mizoram. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  5. Lalremsanga, H.T.; Khawlhring, L; Lalrotluanga (2010). "Three additional lizard (Squamata: Sauria) records for Mizoram, India" (PDF). Journal of Threatened Taxa. 2 (2): 718–720. doi:10.11609/jott.o2246.718-20.
  6. "Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary IBA". Global Species. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  7. Choudhury, Anwaruddin (2006). "Notable bird records from Mizoram in north-east India". Forktail. 22: 152–155.
  8. Lalawmawia, S; Solanki, GS; Ramanujam, SN; Lalthanzara, H (2013). "Survey on distribution of pheasants (Galliformes) in Mizoram, India" (PDF). Science Vision. 13 (2): 90–95.
  9. Lalthanzara, H; Lalramliana; Vanramliana (2011). "Blyth's Tragopan (Tragopan blythii) in Lengteng Wildlife sanctuary, Mizoram, India" (PDF). Science Vision. 11 (4): 108–112.
  10. "India | Mizoram Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary". Online Highways LLC. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  11. Boonratana, R; Das, J.; Yongcheng, L.; Htun, S.; Timmins, R.J (2008). "Macaca leonina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  12. "No more wild animals for New Year feast in Mizoram village". The Hindu. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
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