The Eaglesnest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng District is home to 600 species of birds, making it a biodiversity hotspot. The wildlife sanctuary is also home to the critically endangered Bugun Loicichla bird, which is found nowhere else in the world but here.
It was Astrophysicist Ramana Atreya, who was on a birdwatching trip to Eaglenest, first spotted the bird in 1996. It was described as a new species in 2006 and named after the Buguns, one of the smallest tribes in India.
The Buguns reside in Sinchung village and have a 2000 members-strong community population. The discovery of the bird that changed Buguns’ perspective towards wildlife.
In 2017, the Buguns declared over 17 square km of their community land as the Sinchung Village Community reserve. Youths of the village volunteered to protect the wildlife sanctuary and do rounds of the core areas of the wildlife sanctuary.
The villagers’ efforts also won them the India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the “Conservation of wildlife species” category conferred by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
With recognition and fame, visitors came calling. So far, it has only been serious birders, researchers and nature lovers from all over the world, who find peace and joy at Eaglenest. The Buguns want to avoid mass tourism and the community is making efforts to regulate tourism in the village.
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