A trip to Jim Corbett National Park will add to knowledge of the tourists about wildlife. A handy map will introduce them to different species thriving in and around River Ramganga , which passes through Jim Corbett National Park. Titled as Ramganga Ecotourism Map, Forest department has come out with the atlas with an aim to give knowledge to the tourists about biodiversity flourishing in the river and trees in its embankment.
The beautiful map comprises pictographic information about fish, turtles and other species booming in the river. Green in colour, the map also carries information about avian, including grey headed fish eagle, Pallas’s fish eagle, hen harrier, lesser pied kingfisher, great Indian hornbill make their habitat on trees on the river bank.
The map also has information in short about the areas, which had man eaters in the past. It also explains that Jim Corbett killed the Kanda man eater while staying at the forest rest house. The atlas also carries information about the famous trail taken by Jim Corbett to kill the Mohan man eater from Kartkanaola to Chaknakhal that is vividly described in his book Maneaters of Kumaon.
A brainchild of chief conservator of forest (ecotourism) Rajeev Bhartari, the map
has been designed by Anne Feenstra of arch i.
Beautiful map will be provided free of cost to the tourists going on Ramganga Conducted Tours that take tourists from Dhangari to Dhikala in the heart of the Corbett National Park.
Bhartari said, “The map offers an insight in the landscape and rich biodiversity along Ramganga. This is an effort to give knowledge to the tourists about various species booming in the catchment area. Several avian species have their habitat on the trees along the river since it provides them food.”
Bhartari is delighted since his dream to offer an insight to tourists about Ramganga, the lifeline of Corbett Tiger Reserve, has finally taken shape. “Gharial, mugger, otters, and flocks of cormorants can be seen in the emerald green pools and splashing rapids of Ramganga. The description in the map will bring the fact about rich biodiversity to the notice of the tourists that I wanted to do for long,” Bhartri said, adding that outside the park, the tourists could take a break at Marchula, famous for the Golden Mahseer and continue to Domunda where Mandal river merges into the Ramganga.
The map also comprises information about home stays at various locations. It also draws attention towards natural and man-made threats like landslides on high gradient slopes, deforestation by humans, uncontrolled grazing and repeated forest fires all leading to siltation and erosion those together plagued the catchment areas of the river.
Bhartari claimed that the map was result of thorough research of nine months. It will definitely be of great help for the tourists. He said, “Before this one, the department came out with three other maps titled as Chhoti Haldwani, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary and Uttarakhand ecotourism during last three years.”
The department brought out the Ramganga Ecotourism map in the year of 2013. Its distribution among the tourists started on April 16. “Each tourist must collect the map during his trip to Corbett. It is for them so that they can have an idea about biodiversity along the river,” Bhartari added.