Aaranyak

Aaranyak
Founded 1989
Type Charitable trust
Focus Environmentalism, Conservation, Ecology
Location
Area served
 Assam
Method Lobbying, research, consultancy
Key people
 Bibhab Kr. Talukdar, Dilip Chetry, Jimut Prasad Sarma, Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, M.Firoz Ahmed, Abdul Wakid, Partha Jyoti Das, Udayan Borthakur, Pranjit Sarma
Slogan Nourishing Nature to Secure Our Future
Website www.aaranyak.org

Aaranyak is a leading wildlife NGO[1] based in Guwahati. It is a Scientific, Industrial Research and frontline environmental organization of India. It works all over the eastern Himalayan region on nature conservation, natural resources management, climate change, disaster management and livelihood enhancement of marginalized communities through research and advocacy.[2]

The group says its mission is to foster conservation of biodiversity in Northeast India through research, environmental education, capacity building and advocacy for legal and policy reform to usher a new era of ecological security.[3] Recently, UN framework convention on climate change announced Aaranyak in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) as winner of its UN Lighthouse Activity Award 2014 for the successful implementation of the community-based flood early warning system in the Lakhimpur and Dhemaji Districts of Assam.

Activities in Kaziranga

A joint study carried out by Aaranyak and the Assam Forest Department, has shown that Kaziranga National Park has the highest density of wild tigers in the world.[4] The report is the result of a study carried out during January–March 2009.

List of notable programs and campaigns

Programme About the programme
Environmental Education and Capacity Building This is one of the society's long-term programs continuing since its inception. Well trained educators of the society have been involved in conservation education for different target groups like students, youth, teachers, journalists, policy makers and others regarding preservation and restoration of ecological balance. In order to create awareness among the populace it has organized.
Conservation projects (NETSCOPE) North East Threatened Species Conservation Programme (NETSCOPE): The North East Threatened Species Conservation Programme (NETSCOPE) of Aaranyak introduces a new strategic opportunity for conservation of the threatened species unique to the North East India with diverse cultural affinity.
Community Based Conservation Programme Aaranyak, with a view to secure community support in the conservation of biodiversity have evolved pilot initiatives to support diversified livelihood options to strengthen the local economy. Diversified livelihood generation assistance to the community has played some encouraging role to reduce the dependency of local community upon biodiversity resources and indirectly contributing towards their conservation. The strength of Aaranyak lies in integrating research and community-based activities into a coherent programme that generates knowledge and fosters innovation at local and regional level to achieve the true meaning of sustainable development in terms of biodiversity conservation.
Legal and Advocacy Programme The success of any anti-poaching efforts will ultimately depend on the rate of conviction. Due to lack of orientation and poor interpretation skills of the forest staffs, the existing wildlife, forest and environment laws are either not enforced or used properly to increase the rate of conviction to the poachers and smugglers involved in the illegal trade on wildlife contraband. Aaranyak has for the first time in North East India, started the legal orientation programme for the forest officials working in the Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in Assam in 1996. Since then, covering almost all the protected areas of Assam, Aaranyak has organised more than 12 legal orientation programmes. Advocate Gautom Uzir of Gauhati High Court is the Chief Legal Advisor of Aaranyak, he is in-charge of conducting the legal orientation camps for the benefit of forest staffs in Assam. Ajoy Kumar Das who joined Aaranyak in 2006 is the Associate Lawyer of the Legal programme
Water Climate and Hazard (WATCH) Programme The Northeast India, consisting of the eight states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, presents a distinctive geophysical unit set in the pristine Eastern Himalayan Region with a unique physiographic framework, a vigorous monsoon dominated climatic regime and a dynamic hydro-geomorphic regime. Endowed with a sub (extra) tropical type of monsoonal climate, the region shows remarkable variability of weather and climate on a regional scale and forms a distinct climatic zone within the Indian landmass. Consisting mainly of the basins if three of the large river systems of the world viz. the Brahmaputra, the Barak (Meghna) and the Irrawady, the NER possesses the richest treasure-trove of water resources in India. It possesses about 30% of the total water resources potential and about 41% of the total hydropower potential of India. The per capita and per hectare availability of water in this region is the highest in the country. The NE India is one of the wettest as well as most acutely flood prone zones of the world.
Geo-spatial Technology Application Programme Considering all the importance of Remote Sensing and GIS in the field of biodiversity conservation and planning, the Geo-spatial Technology Application Programme (GTAP) was introduced at Aaranyak in the year, 2004. Since then the programme has been continuously managing and integrating spatial and non-spatial data that are related with mainly biodiversity characteristics of North East India. Till now the unit has prepared different thematic maps of Assam in particular and other North Eastern States as a whole. Under this initiative effort is on towards creating a complete GIS database of the protected areas of Assam and North East India. In this regard, the unit has already developed GIS database for several reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks of Assam.
Wildlife Genetics Programme Aaranyak has felt the need of expanding its conservation efforts to a new horizon by using high-throughput DNA technologies in the field of wildlife research in North East India. There has always been a paucity of exploration and research on wildlife in North East India, which encompasses an important part of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot, one of the 25 global biodiversity hotspots recognized by the international community. Molecular genetic tools provide ample opportunities for studying different aspects of population biology for species which are hard to observe directly through visual observation in the impregnable forests of North East India.
Wildlife Health and Research Programme (WHRP) The Wildlife Health and Research Initiative is a newly designed dedicated initiative of Aaranyak equipped with veterinary expertise to address the various health aspects of the indigenous wild fauna of North east India through veterinary intervention and research approaches. The programme is an interdisciplinary effort between health professionals, wildlife managers, ecologists and conservation professionals. It is an important component of educational and applied wildlife research and successfully integrates the disciplines of veterinary medicine and wildlife management.
Environment Education Orientation Programme To create a pool of Green Teachers in Assam State to give a thrust to conservation efforts, Aaranyak organised many environment education orientation programme for school teachers from fringe areas of Manas Tiger Reserve[5]


Aaranyak sponsors vehicles to Manas National Park.[6]

Books from Aaranyak

Name of book Language
Amphibians and Reptiles of Northeast India- A Photographic Guide[7] Assamese, English
Indian Rhinos in Protected Areas of Assam English
Role of Policy and Institutions in Local Adaptation to Climate Change English

References

  1. ↑ "Villagers hang leopard after killing three people, rescued by Aaranyak". tribune.com.
  2. ↑ "About Aaranyak in India Water Portal". India Water Portal. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "Aaranyak A Scirntific & Industrial Research". aaranyak.org. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "The best tiger habitat in the world". indiaenvironmentportal.org.in. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  5. ↑ "Training on environment education for teachers". Assamtimes.org. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Aaranyak, Guwahati, Assam". hotfrog.in.
  7. ↑ "Book from Aaranyak". swb.co.in. Retrieved 7 March 2013.

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