Manas National Park:

About Manas national park: It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve. It is also called Kamrup Sanctuary,

Location: It is located in the Himalayan foothills in Assam. It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.

Origin of Name: The name of the park is originated from the Manas River.

Flora: The combination of Sub-Himalayan BhabarTerai and the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes Manas National Park one of the richest biodiversity in India. There are around 543 plant species recorded in the core of the national park.

Vegetation: There are four types of vegetation in Manas National Park namely, Sub-Himalayan Light Alluvial Semi-Evergreen forests (northern parts); East Himalayan mixed Moist and Dry Deciduous forests; Low Alluvial Savanna Woodland, and Assam Valley Semi-Evergreen Alluvial Grasslands.

Fauna: The Park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur, and pygmy hog. It is also famous for its population of wild water buffalo.

River: The Manasriver flows through the west of the park. Manas is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River. The river is named after the serpent goddess Manasa.

Village: Pagrang is the only forest village located in the core of the Manas national park. Apart from this village 56 more villages surround the park. Many more fringe villages are directly or indirectly dependent on the park.

Significance:

• Cultural servicesinclude all non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems. Manas and Royal Manas National Parks attract several thousands of tourists, both Indian and foreign. In addition, the Bodo community living in the area and their livelihoods, culture, and food all depend on forests to a great extent.
• Manas and other protected areas also provide regulating services. These are benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes. Manas natural habitats play a significant role in climate and disease control, water regulation, as well as pollination.
  • It helps regulate floods as the water rushes down from the Himalayas. The vast green grassland in Manas is one of the most productive ecosystems and acts as a carbon sink, sequestrating huge amounts of carbon each year.
• Supporting services are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. The entire range of ecosystems in Manas helps in soil formation and nutrition supplements. Manas is home to thousands of species and is a haven for securing the Himalayas’ genetic diversity.

Source:  Source:  Protected areas