YINGKIONG, May 13: With recording of 10 new moths discovered in Upper Siang district recently – a first in India - paving way for the State’s first Biodiversity Meet to promote responsible tourism, the edition of Siang Biodiversity Meet-2024 got underway at Gobuk village on Sunday last.
The opening day was graced by Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Hage Lalaing, in presence of with SP Token Saring, ZPC Lumgeng Litin, DFO Mouling Wildlife Division Bitem Darang, DFO Yingkiong Forest Division Annyi Boli, ABK president Tadum Libang, District Tourism Officer Tater Mize and ABK president Upper Siang Katan Kombom.
The Siang Biodiversity Meet 2024 is being organized by the Gobuk Welfare Society in collaboration with Epum Sirum Welfare Society, with support from Titli Trust and Mouling National Park cum Wildlife Division.
The Siang Biodiversity Meet will be held from May 12-18 at Gobuk and Ramsing villages in Upper Siang district.
In a significant development in the world of biodiversity conservation, 10 new moth records for India have been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district in the latest issue of the international scientific journal Tropical Lepidoptera Research.
A first for India, the discovery and recording of these species comes on the back of two years of community-led conservation initiatives since 2022 conducted by the Titli Trust-Royal Enfield project for Responsible Tourism. Apart from the moth varieties, the 65 day-survey, conducted in the last two years, recorded more than 250 butterfly species, 650 moth species, 200 bird species, and numerous species of odonates. The butterfly “specials” include the Dark Freak, Blue-bordered Sergeant, Elusive Prince, Brown Gorgon, Yellow Gorgon, Margined Hedge Blue, and the Khaki Silverline; to name a few. The findings of the survey reaffirm the importance of the Upper Siang district, which is spread over 6,000 sq km, as a biodiversity hotspot and a welcome home for these pollinators.
“The new moth records in Gobuk reflect only a sliver of the incredible biodiversity in the Siang landscape, which deserves to be protected and nurtured. We are driven by our commitment to community-led conservation, green livelihoods and nurturing an ethos of responsible tourism in the Himalayas. Apart from biodiversity conservation, through our partnership with Titli Trust we support climate schools and responsible tourism fellowships, equipping youth to find meaningful ways to engage with their own heritage and landscapes to become frontrunners in climate action,” says Bidisha Dey, Executive Director, Eicher Group Foundation, which is the CSR arm of Royal Enfield. Putting their conservation learnings to action through this project, the Gobuk village banned hunting in their forests.
The Green School, another initiative supported by Royal Enfield through Green Hub- Dusty Foot Foundation, is sensitizing children and youth about their rich nature-linked legacy and the benefits of conserving flora and fauna for the community. Their initiative on supporting green-livelihoods is also seeing traction among local youth.
“Titli Trust's work with forest dwelling communities in Gobuk, supported by Royal Enfield is seeing a positive ground-level impact. The Adi tribe, who are a majority of the 1,200 residents here, had not earlier viewed their biodiversity as a global treasure. Over the two years of our intervention they have adopted the concept of conservation and nature-linked livelihoods rapidly and significantly reduced hunting. When biodiversity assessments in their area revealed 10 new moth records for India, no one was more surprised, and delighted than the residents of Gobuk village,” says Sanjay Sondhi, founder of Titli Trust. (DIPRO)