The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has approved the diversion of 310 hectares of forest land from the core area of Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh to facilitate the construction of the Arunachal Frontier Highway (NH-913), triggering serious concerns among wildlife experts and conservationists.
The proposed diversion falls in Changlang district and involves an ecologically sensitive patch that lies near the India-Myanmar border. The land is slated to support a stretch linking NH-215 near Kharsang to the Miao-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar road. According to official records, the Arunachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) had sought clearance for 248.79 hectares for road widening and an additional 61.21 hectares for muck disposal.
During the NBWL Standing Committee meeting held on June 26, several members raised red flags over the ecological implications. Senior wildlife experts H.S. Singh and R. Sukumar, along with the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) of Arunachal Pradesh, questioned the need for large-scale tree felling — approximately 1.55 lakh trees — and criticized the current design for lacking a scientific approach to wildlife mitigation.
“The existing design only includes standard culverts typically used by PWD, which are inadequate for facilitating animal movement,” noted R. Sukumar, a member of the committee and a renowned ecologist. He acknowledged the strategic and security importance of the highway but urged a more wildlife-sensitive approach. H.S. Singh recommended that the animal passage plan be revised before the project moves forward. Despite these concerns, the committee gave its nod to the proposal.
The CWW attempted to clarify that the road expansion would be modest — an intermediate lane upgrade from a current width of 3.5 metres — and argued that the tree count includes undergrowth and saplings, not just mature trees. However, conservationists insist that the cumulative impact on biodiversity could be severe.
Namdapha Tiger Reserve, which spans across nearly 2,000 square kilometers, is known for its rich biodiversity and status as one of India’s most important tiger habitats. It is also home to several rare and endangered species, including clouded leopards, red pandas, and hornbills.
To address the mounting concerns, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has now been tasked with preparing a detailed, site-specific animal passage plan within three months. The plan is expected to rely on actual wildlife movement data to ensure scientifically designed underpasses and overpasses are built into the final road layout.
This decision comes alongside another significant land diversion approved by the NBWL — 133 hectares from eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) and a designated tiger corridor in Andhra Pradesh. The land will be used for the four-laning of a national highway between Kadapa and Renigunta. This includes portions of the ESZs of Sri Venkateswara and Sri Penusila Lakshmi Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuaries, as well as a key corridor linking the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve to Sri Venkateswara National Park.
