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Meat, market threat to Arunachal species -GS Mudur
-The Telegraph

Poaching
Illegal hunting in Arunachal Pradesh primarily for meat on the table or for money from the market may be threatening several protected or rare wildlife species, a survey in the state's Ziro Valley has indicated.

Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India, (WII) Dehradun, have documented hunting of leopards, marbled cats, black bears, orange-bellied squirrels, among other species, mainly for meat, skin, and commercial sales in six villages of Ziro Valley.

Their survey, based on interviews with 85 households, heads of villages and hunters and observations of market sales, suggests that most species hunted are protected by the law. While hunting for subsistence has been a way of life for centuries among tribal communities in the Northeast, the researchers say the commercial trade in wildlife may pose a threat to some species.

The new study in Ziro Valley, led by WII scientist Gopi Govindan Veeraswami, has documented the hunting of 134 species - mammals, birds and reptiles - and has revealed "hunting pressure" on several rare and threatened mammals.

The survey, accepted for publication in the journal Current Science, suggests that while 55 per cent of households reported hunting primarily for subsistence, about 25 per cent reported that they hunted to sell their catch in the market (See chart).

"If the commercial trade (in wildlife species) grows, it could prove detrimental to such species," said Bilal Habib, a wildlife scientist at the WII and a co-author of the survey that was spread over a period of three years.

The researchers observed that most species are hunted for meat or skin, except the orange-bellied Himalayan squirrels that are hunted for medical purposes and social ceremonies by members of the Apatani community in the Ziro Valley.

Three years ago, Veeraswami and other research scholars reported in the journal Oryx that the monetary value of this squirrel had increased 40-fold since 1986. The researchers said hunting was perceived as the primary cause of the decline of the orange-bellied squirrel, but traditional village councils had initiated efforts to curb hunting of this species through a "social restriction system".

Arunachal Pradesh, the largest among the northeastern states, is labelled by environmental scientists as a key zone of biodiversity with a 61 per cent forest cover.

Several studies in the past have captured snapshots of hunting practices in the Northeast, including in Arunachal Pradesh. But, Habib said, the absence of a study that contrasts baseline data with observations after several years makes it impossible at the moment to quantify to what extent the hunting practices are endangering the protected species.

Veeraswami and his colleagues have called for research to evaluate the sustainability of hunting practices in the region. "Traditional hunting exclusively for the meat may at times be sustainable, but increasing population pressure or the growth of market sales could make it unsustainable and threaten species," Habib said.

While several of the hunted species are protected by the law, a wildlife biologist said, the vastness of the region and the absence of adequate number of forest staff make it difficult to curb such hunting.