Nokrek National Park & Biosphere Reserve- History, Geography, Flora and Fauna

When was Nokrek National Park Established?

Nokrek National Park is located in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, India. Formally established in 1986, the park spans 47.48 square kilometers in area as per MoEFCC records. Situated only about 2 kilometers from the prominent Tura Peak, it lies around 45 kilometers from Tura town which serves as the headquarters of West Garo Hills district.

The Nokrek gained the status of National Park in 1986 and Biosphere Reserve in 1988. The core protected area was thereafter delimited through land acquired from twenty A’king Nokmas.

The geographical coordinates locating Nokrek National Park are 25°27′N to 25°31′N Latitude and 90°19′E to 90°23′E Longitude as mapped in the West Garo Hills district. Its spatial extent and boundaries situate it strategically near the India-Bangladesh international border.

The park’s biodiversity riches and rare flora-fauna species were crucial considerations behind its foundation back in 1986 within Meghalaya’s Protected Area Network. As the smallest National Park in the state, Nokrek plays a vital role as a genetic reservoir enhancing the larger Nokrek Biosphere Reserve which was added to UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program network in 2009.

Timeline of Nokrek Conservation Status

Where is Nokrek National Park located?

Nokrek National Park lies nestled within the Garo Hills geographical region of the Indian state of Meghalaya. It sits just about 2 kilometers southwards from Tura Peak which stands tall with an elevation of 872 meters in the West Garo Hills district. The park’s proximity to the peak allows visitors scenic vistas of the surrounding hill ranges.

Further east, Nokrek National Park is situated nearly 45 kilometers aerial distance from Tura town which serves as the district headquarters. The forests and grasslands that make up the park’s expanse extend in a narrow stretch towards the India-Bangladesh international border located south. This unique location within a biodiversity hotspot gives Nokrek National Park strategic importance for wildlife conservation and environmental protection in the transboundary landscape it inhabits.

Nokrek National Park Map

Geographical features of Nokrek National Park

Spanning an area of 47.48 square kilometers, Nokrek National Park lies nestled within the larger Nokrek Biosphere Reserve that encompasses 820 square kilometers of land in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills. The terrain is characterized by hilly geographical features typical of this subdivision nested in the Meghalaya Plateau.

What are the rivers in Nokrek National Park?

Several rivers traverse through the protected park area, including the Simsang, Ganol, Dareng, Nitai and Bhugi – all eventually draining into the mighty Brahmaputra system. The Simsang emerges from upland areas north of the park while the Dareng originates from southern crests.

How is the climate of Nokrek National Park?

The climate within the Nokrek National Park area exhibits tropical and subtropical signature, with temperatures ranging from 6-8°C in winter months to 25-37°C during summer. Precipitation primarily concentrated during monsoons contributes an annual rainfall of approximately 2400 mm on average.

This combination of landscape diversity and the biome’s humid climate gives rise to lush forests spanning grasslands, evergreen woods, bamboo brakes and deciduous trees across hill slopes within the park’s boundaries.

Biodiversity of Nokrek National Park

Fauna

Fencing in Nokrek National Park led to temporary increases in wildlife populations near the park margins, but these gains have been reversed since the late 1990s as reported in “Fencing protected areas: A long-term assessment of the effects of reserve establishment and fencing on African mammalian diversity” by Massey, King and Foufopoulos (2014). Nokrek National Park harbors a diversity of animal species within its protected boundaries though actual sightings have dwindled over recent years.

Historical records show that the park served as a habitat range for the rare Red Panda although current status remains uncertain. Other mammalian fauna found here include the Asian Elephant, an endangered megaherbivore that roams the grasslands and adjacent forests. Predatory carnivores like the elusive Clouded Leopard, along with big cats such as Leopards and Royal Bengal Tigers prey on herbivores sharing ecological niches across the park.

The Western Hoolock Gibbon, a small ape vulnerable to extinction, is found in Nokrek National Park as reported in “Modelling the conservation status of the threatened hoolock gibbon (genus Hoolock) over its range” by Lwin, Sukumal and Savini (2021). Surveys have also previously identified hybrid Macaque species and the Western Hoolock Gibbon, a small ape vulnerable to extinction, among the park’s primate populations.

Asiatic Black Bears, Wild Dogs and smaller mammals like the Chinese Pangolin are also inhabit ecosystems protected within Nokrek National Park. Over 150 bird species populate the skies above the park’s evergreen woods and Plateaus. Reptilian diversity is high as well, with snakes and lizards well adapted to thrive in areas less frequented by human visitors.

Flora

Nokrek National Park exhibits a mosaic of forest types across its undulating terrain, falling under tropical and subtropical climate zones as reported in Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, by Maley (1996).

Evergreen woods densely packed with tall Sal, Teak and Hollock trees occupy valleys while semi-evergreen forests dotted with Gmelina transition to slopes. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in rhythm with winter aridity before flush greening during wet months. Groves of Bambusa tulda and Dendrocalamus strictus bamboo stalks dominate the understory and edges along grassland meadows.

Orchids showcase floral diversity as epiphytes adhering to trees bark or as ground-rooted herbs. Examples include the vibrant orange hues of Cymbidium elegans and prolific flowering by Dendrobium densiflorum during monsoons. Besides these, the Nokrek National Park also harbors a variety of medicinal plants and wild relatives of cultivated fruit-bearing trees. Authorities monitor growth of such endemic and native flora within Nokrek National Park as valuable genetic resources playing ecological roles that sustain food chains nourishing faunal communities.

History of Nokrek National Park

The journey of conservation at Nokrek began in 1986 when it was officially declared a National Park in Meghalaya for protecting biodiversity in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India. Just two years later in 1988, it was designated as Nokrek Biosphere Reserve by Government of India. Nokrek earned recognition as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme in May, 2009 which aims to promote sustainable development.

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve operates under the combined administration of the East and West Garo Hills Wildlife Division offices located in Meghalaya state. As the smallest such site in India, Nokrek showcases how strategic conservation planning and allowing indigenous flora-fauna to proliferate freely can maintain balanced ecosystems even under pressure from human settlements located just outside its boundaries.

Significance of Nokrek National Park

Nokrek National Park holds special cultural significance for the Garo indigenous tribe native to Meghalaya state in northeast India. Local communities traditionally harvest medicinal plants like Swertia chirata and Dioscorea bulbifera growing wild within park limits to remedy ailments, knowing their ecology intimately. Strict protocols regulate access to such non-timber forest produce, balancing human needs with preventing overexploitation that threatens certain species.

Conserving biodiversity underpins initiatives prioritizing habitat protection across Nokrek, given its importance for endangered mammals like the Red Panda, Hoolock Gibbon plus avian fauna including the Blyth’s Baza.