Uttarakhand will soon be having the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary, which is known for its rich flora and fauna, in its tourist map as the State forest department is planning to equip this hitherto less traversed wild habitat with necessary tourist infrastructure, allowing tourism activities there.
The Nandhaur valley that falls in the Haldwani forest division was accorded the status of the wildlife sanctuary only about a year ago. The interesting fact is that the officials concerned of the Haldwani forest division are also planning to open this wildlife sanctuary for tourism purpose by creating requisite infrastructure.
“We have got fund Rs 30 lakh initially sanctioned, for equipping the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary with necessary basic infrastructure like proper roads, drinking water services, hutments, dormitory to name a few,” PC Arya, SDO, the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary, told The Pioneer in an exclusive interview.
“The basic objective behind integrating wildlife conservation activities here with tourism is to create awareness among the masses about the wildlife. Providing access to the people to the wildlife will definitely help them understand the role of wildlife and the forest in our eco-system,” he said.
As the wildlife as well as tour operators here believe, putting the Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary on the tourist map may go a long way in promoting tourist as well as wildlife conservation activities in this region with this area having easy access from both the Haldwani and Tanakpur sides.
The Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary flanked by the Gola river in the west and the Sharda river in the east, also has the Nandhaur river passing through the thick forests of this sanctuary, which finally disappears in the tarai area. Though there are many other small rivers in this landscape, but the Nandhaur river can be described as the lifeline for the wildlife here with substantial water which remain available throughout the year.
This wildlife sanctuary also has large swathes of undisturbed forests which have virtually no habitation. Thus, this region would definitely be a new attraction for the nature lovers, maintained the wildlife experts here. The Nandhaur wildlife sanctuary consists of mainly Sal, Shisham, Bamboo, Teak, Chir Pine and riverine forests and houses tiger, leopard, elephant, Sloth Bear, Mahaseer and Great Pied Hornbill to name a few.
At the same time threat to the wildlife in the said wild habitat is not less concerning, said the officials concerned, saying integrating the wild conservation efforts with tourism may come in handy in protecting the flora and fauna in this sanctuary.