Nature's Beckon

Last updated
Nature's Beckon
FounderSoumyadeep Datta
Type Nonprofit
Legal statusActive
PurposeConservation
HeadquartersDhubri, Assam, India
Region
North East India
MethodsMulti-structural activism, holistic conservation, youth training, education, research
FieldsEnvironmental activism, anthropology, research, lobbying
Official language
Assamese, English, Hindi, Bengali, Bodo, Rabha, Goalparia, etc.
Director
Soumyadeep Datta
Website http://naturesbeckon.org/
Mission Statement: The mission of Nature's Beckon is working with the people to conserve, protect and increase wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the people of India.

Nature's Beckon is an independent environmental activist group in Northeast India [1] which initiated the environmental movement in Assam. [2]

Contents

The organization was established by Ashoka Fellow Soumyadeep Datta [3] in the year 1982. [4] [5] [1] [6] The organization is working in the fields of conservation of wildlife, environmental education, and scientific research. [1] In 1991, the organization was formally registered under the Societies Registration Act.[ citation needed ]

The organization is credited with the discovery of the golden languar (Presbytis geei) in the hill reserves of Chakrashila. [7] [8] [9] The organization spearheaded conservation movements in Assam, such as the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Movement and the Rainforest Conservation Movement of Assam. The organization declared some habitats of wildlife as protected areas, such as the Chakrashila and Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuaries. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Some programs are undertaken to teach students, environmental activists, and workers about the environment and habitat. [1]

Formation

Nature's Beckon started as a nature club formed by Soumyadeep Datta at a young age in 1982. Led by him, the organization at first went on nature-trails and bird-watching expeditions in the Dhubri Forests. Kamal Narayan Choudhury provided guidance and helped them expand their activities. [8] [15]

Activities

Nature's Beckon staging a street play during the rainforest conservation movement of Assam. NB Street Play.jpg
Nature's Beckon staging a street play during the rainforest conservation movement of Assam.

Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Movement and conservation of golden languar

Nature's Beckon took up a 12-year-long conservation movement through people's participation in the declaration of the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary. [16] [17] [3] [5]

After the discovery of golden languar [18] [19] in the hill reserves of Chakrashila, the organization worked for its protection through a movement at the grassroot level that involved local people, surveys and research, lobbying and other forms of activism. [11] [20] [21]

Rainforest Conservation Movement of Assam and the declaration of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary

In 2003, UK based Premier Oil was permitted by the forest department to explore oil in the interior of the rainforests. It was later shut down due to the activism of Nature's Beckon. NB-Protest Against Premier OIL.jpg
In 2003, UK based Premier Oil was permitted by the forest department to explore oil in the interior of the rainforests. It was later shut down due to the activism of Nature's Beckon.

Nature's Beckon rediscovered the presence of rain forest in the Dibrugarh-Tinsukia districts of Upper Assam and undertook a movement for the legal protection of 500 sq km of contiguous rainforest. This movement started with baseline surveys of the region by the organization. After around a decade of trying (1995–2004), the conservation movement taken by Nature's Beckon forced the state government on 13 June 2004 to declare 111.19 sq km of rainforest as 'Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.' [22] The organization still demands and works for the area extension of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, saying that the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary should constitute the entire contiguous rain forest. [23] [24] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhubri district</span> District of Assam in India

Dhubri District (Pron:ˈdʊbri) is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. The district headquarters are located at Dhubri town which is situated ~290 km from Guwahati. This was also the headquarters of erstwhile undivided Goalpara district which was created in 1876 by the British government. In 1983, Goalpara district was divided into four districts and Dhubri is one among those. Dhubri district is one among the many Muslim-majority districts of Assam. In 2016, Dhubri was divided again to form South Salmara-Mankachar District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gee's golden langur</span> Species of Old World monkey

Gee's golden langur, also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of Western Assam, India and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan. Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the golden langur was first brought to the attention of the Western world by the naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee in the 1950s. Adult males have a cream to golden coat with darker flanks while the females and juveniles are lighter. The golden langur has a black face and a long tail up to 50 cm (19.69 in) in length. It lives in high trees and has a herbivorous diet of fruits, leaves, seeds, buds and flowers. The average group size is eight individuals, with a ratio of several females to each adult male. It is one of the most endangered primate species of India and Bhutan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhubri</span> Town in Assam, India

Dhubri is a town and the administrative centre of Dhubri district in the Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Board under the British regime. It is situated about 277.4 kilometres (172 mi) west from Dispur, the state capital of Assam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests</span> Ecoregion of India and Bhutan

The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of Northeastern India, southern Bhutan and adjacent Bangladesh.

Edward Pritchard Gee (1904–1968) was a Cambridge educated, Anglo-Indian tea-planter and an amateur naturalist in Assam, India. He is credited with the 1953 discovery of Gee's golden langur. He is notable as an early influential wildlife conservationist, especially for his 1959 and 1963 surveys and recommendations resulting in the creation of Chitwan National Park, the first of nine national parks in Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manas National Park</span> National park in Assam, India

Manas National Park is a national park, Project Tiger reserve, and an elephant reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it borders the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Manas is also famous for its population of the wild water buffalo. Because of its exceptional biodiversity, scenery, and variety of habitats, Manas National Park is a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodiversity of Assam</span> Biodiversity of Assam, a state in North-East India

The biodiversity of Assam, a state in North-East India, makes it a biological hotspot with many rare and endemic plant and animal species. The greatest success in recent years has been the conservation of the Indian rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National Park, but a rapid increase in human population in Assam threatens many plants and animals and their natural habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical geography of Assam</span>

This article discusses the geological origin, geomorphic characteristics, and climate of the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Extending from 89° 42′ E to 96° E longitude and 24° 8′ N to 28° 2′ N latitude, it has an area of 78,438 km2, similar to that of Ireland or Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Assam</span> Tourism in Assam, India

Assam is the main and oldest state in the North-East Region of India and as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. The land of red river and blue hills, Assam comprises three main geographical areas: the Brahmaputra Valley which stretching along the length of the Brahmaputra river, the Barak Valley extending like a tail, and the intervening Karbi Plateau and North Cachar Hills. Assam shares its border with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal; and there are National Highways leading to their capital cities. It also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh and is very close to Myanmar. In ancient times Assam was known as Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotishpura, and Kamarupa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Bhutan</span>

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small, landlocked nation nestled in the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya. To its north lies the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and to the west, south and east lies the Indian states of Sikkim, Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Pakke Tiger Reserve, is a Project Tiger reserve in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. The 862 km2 (333 sq mi) reserve is protected by the Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh. It was known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve, but renamed in April 2001 by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. It has won India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of 'Conservation of threatened species' for its Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary</span>

Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary falling under Kokrajhar district and some adjacent areas of Dhubri district of Assam, India. It is famous for the golden langur and is the second protected habitat for golden langurs in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anwaruddin Choudhury</span>

Anwaruddin Choudhury is an Indian naturalist, noted for his expertise on the fauna of North-East India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehing Patkai National Park</span> National park in Assam, India

Dehing Patkai National Park is a national park in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam covering an area of 231.65 km2 (89.44 sq mi) of rainforest. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 13 June 2004. On 13 December 2020, the Government of Assam upgraded it into a national park. On 9 June 2021, the Forest Department of Assam officially notified it as a national park. It is located in the Dehing Patkai Landscape which is a dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforest. The rainforest stretches for more than 575 km2 (222 sq mi) in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo. The forest further spreads over in the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Dehing Patkai National Park harbours the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India. Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant. Dehing-Patkai as a potential wildlife sanctuary was identified in late 1980s during a primate survey as "Upper Dehing Wildlife Sanctuary". Subsequently during a study on white-winged wood duck in early 1990s, it was discovered as a globally important site for this duck and recommended to be upgraded to "Upper Dehing National Park".

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kakoijana reserved forest</span>

Kakoijana reserved forest is located near Abhayapuri in Bongaigaon district of Assam. The forest is famous for golden langur. The forest is 17.24 km2.

Salkocha is a village and gram panchayat in the town of Chapar in the Dhubri district of the state of Assam, India. It is part of the Bilasipara East Assam Legislative Assembly constituency and the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency.

Kashmira Kakati is a wildlife biologist and environmental activist working the North Eastern forests of India. In 2010, she announced the discovery of the presence of seven species of wild cats in the Jeypore-Dehing forests in Assam. Her work using camera traps to find wild cats was featured in the first episode of the BBC documentary Lost Land of the Tiger (2010).

Dehing Patkai Landscape, located in the Upper Assam, stretches for over roughly 600 square kilometres and comprises three large blocks of forests and several forest fragments. The forest is classified as a lowland Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest (Dipterocarpus-Mesua). It falls under Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Due to its biodiversity and significance for elephant habitat, parts of the landscape are recognised as Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve and 111 km2 is protected as the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raimona National Park</span> National park in Assam

Raimona National Park is located in extreme western part of Assam, India. It is spread across Gossaigaon and Kokrajhar subdivisions of Kokrajhar district of Bodoland Territorial Region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  2. ↑ "Rakesh Soud | Changemakers". www.changemakers.org. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  3. 1 2 "Ashoka-Soumyadeep Datta". Ashoka International Website.
  4. 1 2 Bhattacharjee, Jhimli (2009). "4". Environmental activism in North East India: exploring environmental movements and action groups with special reference to Assam (PDF) (Ph.D thesis).
  5. 1 2 Kaziranga National Park. Banalata. 2018. p. 195. ISBN   978-93-82056-68-3.
  6. ↑ "Taking poachers by Horns". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  7. ↑ "A few valuable letters, messages and other documents". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  8. 1 2 Ghosh, Tapan (January–March 1993). "Golden Discovery". WWF-India Quarterly.
  9. ↑ Datta, Soumyadeep (April–June 1998). "A report on the discovery of Golden Languar at Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuay and its Conservation". Tigerpaper. 25 (2): 23–26.
  10. ↑ Datta, Soumyadeep Datta (December 15, 2003). "Feral Instinct". India Today.
  11. 1 2 Wolvekamp, Paul (1999). Forests for the Future: Local Strategies for Forest Protection,Economic Welfare and Social Justice. New York, London: Zed Books Ltd. pp. 58–65. ISBN   1-85649-756-9.
  12. ↑ Datta, Soumyadeep (July 1996). "Battling to Protect the Environment". Participation and Governence. 3 (7): 3–7 – via Society for Participatory Research in Asia).
  13. ↑ "Concerted effort for conservation of rainforests urged". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  14. ↑ "Nature's Beckon North East India - Activities and Achievements" . Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  15. ↑ "Visionaire Extraordinaire Soumyadeep Datta". The Eclectic-A Global Magazine. August 2007: 20–27. August 2007.
  16. ↑ "Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary". WildTrails Recent Sightings | The One-Stop Destination for all your Wildlife Travels. 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  17. ↑ "Golden Langur". kokrajhar.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  18. ↑ "Status Survey of Endangered Species-Report 1". Zoological Survey of India. 1994.
  19. ↑ "Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary | Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Kokrajhar | Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Assam | Golden Langur in Assam". www.assaminfo.com. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  20. ↑ Communities and Conservation:Natural Resource Management in South and Central Asia. California, New Delhi, London: Sage Publications. 1998. pp. 425–434. ISBN   0-7619-9279-0.
  21. ↑ "Activities and Achievements". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  22. ↑ Sharma, Novanita. "Dehing Patkai: A survivor once again". The Hill Times.
  23. ↑ "Dehing-Patkai national park should include entire Amazon of the East: Conservationists, activists | Headlines". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  24. ↑ Rainforests of Assam. Nature's Beckon. 2013. ISBN   978-93-82624-71-4.
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