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The greater one-horned rhinoceros or Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) faced extinction in British India at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1908, the Government of Assam established the Kaziranga Game Reserve (KGR, now Kaziranga National Park) to preserve the vanishing rhino. As the twentieth century progressed, creating wilderness -- by demonising the presence of the peasants and graziers -- became a global panacea for protecting wildlife. Contrary to that belief, this article will show how the rhino population revived amidst human existence dictated by agro-ecological interactions and bureaucratic expediencies. The rhino's ethology and its place in the imagination of rural people minimised its enemies. Moreover, in fluvial geography that constantly transformed the KGR's boundaries, peasants and graziers creatively negotiated their usufruct rights and supported rhino preservation. Locating the KGR in the historical analysis of fluvial agro-ecology, this study illuminates how a critical interaction between different actors, i.e. human and non-human and coloniser and colonised, accentuated the cultural and material contestations amidst which the rhino eventually survived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A restrictive approach in managing Protected Areas (PA) is often attributed to 'Western' ideas of nature. This view claims that national elites embraced Western ideas of nature—which supposedly has no place for humans—to produce pristine wilderness in PAs by banning grazing, fishing, and foraging inside them. This article foregrounds cultural politics as an alternate driver of creating wilderness in the global south. The article explores the history of conservation of the Greater One-horned Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary (KWLS), the previous avatar of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India. It shows that Assamese cultural politics pertaining to the rhino not only augmented the Assam Forest Department's (FD) enduring efforts to sanitise KWLS from human activities but also paved the way for the militarised protection of the rhino, which in turn, reinforced wilderness. By the late 1960s, when a larger debate about wildlife conservation surfaced in India, developments in KWLS subtly informed exclusionary conservation in other national parks and tiger reserves.

A restrictive approach in managing Protected Areas (PA) is often attributed to 'Western' ideas of nature. This view claims that national elites embraced Western ideas of nature--which supposedly has no place for humans--to produce pristine wilderness in PAs by banning grazing, fishing, and foraging inside them. This article foregrounds cultural politics as an alternate driver of creating wilderness in the global south. The article explores the history of conservation of the Greater One-horned Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary (KWLS), the previous avatar of Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India. It shows that Assamese cultural politics pertaining to the rhino not only augmented the Assam Forest Department's (FD) enduring efforts to sanitise KWLS from human activities but also paved the way for the militarised protection of the rhino, which in turn, reinforced wilderness. By the late 1960s, when a larger debate about wildlife conservation surfaced in India, developments in KWLS subtly informed exclusionary conservation in other national parks and tiger reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal-vehicle collision on the roads is a major cause of mortality of a wide range of animal taxa both within and around protected areas. This study has been conducted in the National Highway 715 (new) covering a continuous stretch of 64 km that passes through Kaziranga National Park (KNP) of Assam (India). The area falls between the boundary of KNP on its north and North Karbi Anglong Wildlife sanctuary on the south. The survey concentrated on the mortality study of four groups of vertebrates viz., amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals resulting from collisions with vehicles from October 2016 through September, 2017. A total of 6036 individual roadkills were registered, belonging to 53 species, 23 other taxa and 30 families of vertebrates, with herpetofauna being the most affected group followed by birds and mammals. The study evaluated seasonal variation in the overall roadkill pattern with highest mortality in the monsoon season 38.27% (n = 2310) and with peak casualties starting with the onset of rainfall (February and March) and during monsoons (July and August). The amphibian mortality was also found to be highest during the monsoon with 43.28% (n = 1575) of kills, as compared to the other three groups. NH-715 (new), therefore serves as a challenging passage for the animals, forming a major barrier for the faunal component of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. This study thus tried to reflect the often overlooked issue of roads and highways in terms of direct mortality of animals due to traffic and thereby can be helpful in understanding the seriousness of the situation and identifying prospective measures to be taken for sustainable coexistence of both animals and human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Among the natural ecosystems, forests and wetlands emit a sizable amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) through autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration and bacterial activities. Interestingly, some evidence suggests that a significant amount of CH4 is generated by the trees in forested ecosystems. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE), measured by the eddy covariance (EC) method, typically represents the net CO2 flux arising from the photosynthetic and respiration processes in the biosphere. This flux is subsequently partitioned into two components, the respired carbon and the assimilated carbon. However, the usual method of partitioning introduces significant errors in each of these fluxes. The present study was undertaken to address this issue where the NEE partitioning was constrained by using the carbon isotopic ratios of CO2. We used a real‐time in situ analyzer in a tropical forest in northeast India, the Kaziranga National Park. The greenhouse gas analyzer provided CO2 and CH4 concentrations, as well as their carbon isotopic ratios. The isotopic data were used to partition the EC‐derived NEE values and derive the isoflux values. Additionally, the isotopic data provided evidence of plant‐generated CH4 in conformity with some recent studies, which requires further investigation.

Among the natural ecosystems, forests and wetlands emit a sizable amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) through autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration and bacterial activities. Interestingly, some evidence suggests that a significant amount of CH4 is generated by the trees in forested ecosystems. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE), measured by the eddy covariance (EC) method, typically represents the net CO2 flux arising from the photosynthetic and respiration processes in the biosphere. This flux is subsequently partitioned into two components, the respired carbon and the assimilated carbon. However, the usual method of partitioning introduces significant errors in each of these fluxes. The present study was undertaken to address this issue where the NEE partitioning was constrained by using the carbon isotopic ratios of CO2. We used a real‐time in situ analyzer in a tropical forest in northeast India, the Kaziranga National Park. The greenhouse gas analyzer provided CO2 and CH4 concentrations, as well as their carbon isotopic ratios. The isotopic data were used to partition the EC‐derived NEE values and derive the isoflux values. Additionally, the isotopic data provided evidence of plant‐generated CH4 in conformity with some recent studies, which requires further investigation. Plain Language Summary: The terrestrial vegetation absorbs a vast amount of carbon in the photosynthetic process. They also emit a sizeable amount of carbon through respiration. Eddy‐covariance‐based technique is often employed to quantify these two opposing fluxes. An eddy‐covariance‐based system measures carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations along with wind speed, and covariance of their fluctuations is used to calculate the net ecosystem exchange (NEE). The NEE is then partitioned into the photosynthetic and respiration components through a series of numerical operations and environmental constraints. Flux measurements in association with carbon isotopic ratios can provide a unique way to partition NEE. We have measured the concentration and isotopic ratio of CO2 and the eddy covariance‐based measurements to obtain the respiratory and photosynthetic fluxes of CO2 in a tropical forest in India. In addition, methane (CH4) concentration and its isotopic ratio have been measured to identify if trees can be considered a CH4 source in this ecosystem. Key Points: The net ecosystem exchange was measured using an eddy‐covariance technique in a forest in IndiaSeparately the greenhouse gases isotopic data were collected and used to determine the "isofluxes"Partitioning of the respiratory and the photosynthetic fluxes was carried out [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floodplains are simultaneously the most productive and threatened ecosystems in the world, with land cover integrity compromised even in "protected" floodplains. Due to their rich biodiversity, monitoring of land cover and understanding the causative drivers becomes imperative in the protected floodplains. This work performs spatio‐temporal assessment of land cover changes and discovers the underlying processes in the largest protected floodplain of the Brahmaputra River (BR)—Kaziranga National Park (KNP). Remotely sensed images of 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018 were analyzed using visual interpretation techniques coupled with class description keys in GIS platform along with ground‐based surveys. Results show a substantial area decline under Dense Forest (7.7%), Open Forest (10%), Waterlogged wetland (31.3%), and Marsh/Swamp (70.4%) land cover classes between 1988 and 2018. The considerable reduction in forests and wetlands is likely to impact the life support system of the park as they form the key habitats and food resources. Concurrently, dramatic area increase under riverine classes has led to huge landmass loss along the northern and eastern stretch. Though the BR and the local flood pulse are essential source of nutrient replenishment in the park, they also act as primary drivers of land cover alteration. Hydro‐geomorphic processes like bank erosion, high‐flood events, and siltation in association with vegetation succession and invasive species control the inter‐conversion of land cover classes in the KNP. The findings of this work provide an insight into the natural factors that instigate the land cover modification on large floodplains in general, and particularly in KNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam, India, is a protected area of global prominence as it provides habitat to the largest population of the Indian Rhinoceros in the world and is also special as it has a diverse human population from different cultures surrounding the national park. Conservation and management of the park is becoming very complex with the passage of time due to a range of issues including the increase in wildlife as well as human population and developments in the adjoining areas. There is no buffer zone in the park and animals historically, have used the adjoining forests and highlands as refuge from time to time to escape the onslaught of seasonal floods. Developments and growth of human settlements have constricted the areas available for free movement of animals from and to the park in many sectors and at present there are 9 prominent tracts which are used by the animals for their movement to adjoining habitats and in many portions, both humans and wildlife use the same areas. There are at least five common complexes that are used by wildlife for their movement in and around the Kaziranga NP and detailed information regarding the land use and land cover pattern within these corridor complexes which are very vital for the security of the park, is not available. The present study uses high resolution satellite images (IRS P6 LISS IV and LISS III) for 2002 and 2013 and extensive field survey methods for documenting the pattern of the existing land use/land cover of the corridor complexes. Camera trap-based monitoring, interaction with the local people and GPS field surveys were conducted during the 2015–16 period for this study. Land use land cover change analysis and forest fragmentation map was prepared to understand the nature of anthropogenic disturbance to the forest cover of the corridor complexes. The result reveals that most of the corridor complexes have a very mixed type of land cover, which advocates very careful planning to ensure that both humans and animals use the area sustainably. The NH-37 which runs on the south of the Kaziranga National Park has become a zone of escalating developmental activities for the local population as well as the tourists. Few corridors for animal movement, which have become almost non-functional due to regular increase of anthropogenic activities in few important areas.

The present work targets a serious information gap created by extant fragmental and intermittent data on river bank erosion and accretion dynamics. Hence, a sequential three-decade profiling of erosion and accretion activities within the Kaziranga National Park—a protected area in the flood plain of the Brahmaputra, was undertaken. Thirty consecutive Landsat images from 1987 to 2016 were analyzed in GIS environment, to evaluate long-term sequential data and derive a baseline reference. Overlay analysis was carried out to estimate the magnitudes and intensities of erosion and accretion in spatiotemporal scale. The resultant mean rates of erosion and accretion have been estimated to be 184.2 ha/year and 93.9 ha/year, respectively. Consequently, the resultant net reduction in the park land area was 2617.7 ha, which projected a mean net rate of 90.3 ha/year. Erosion was therefore annually recurrent and dominant over accretion. The resultant area dynamics, from the assessment of the spatiotemporal scale, provided a reliable, continuous data resource that overcomes the information lacunae from available fragmented studies. In addition, assessment with sequential data displayed a more accurate reflection of actual topography as compared to intermittent data results, which in turn can validate and enrich data resources, on the area dynamics of the Brahmaputra floodplain. Finally, defining a reference perspective derived from long-term sequential data that endorses the twin episodes of erosion and accretion will be vital for floodplain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the abundant literature on metal contamination through road dust (RD) in urban/suburban and residential/highway regions, the RD of highways traversing through the Kaziranga National Park, NE India, has not been studied and lacks baseline data. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the possibility of highway microzonation based on temporal and spatial variability of metal pollution level and ecological risk. It was found that the RD contains an average content of (1.7–33.5 mg/kg) for Cd, Co, Cu and Pb and (121–574 mg/kg) for Ni, Zn, Cr and Mn across the highway passing through the national forest attributed by various sources. The study revealed three possible microzones present in the studied highway NH-37 based on spatial trend of metal as well as human interference. An attempt was made to understand the possible source of metals by principal component analysis, and four sources were identified: Three were of vehicular origin, and another was related to road surface and subsurface condition. The use of noise barrier walls as an effective measure to control the translocation of RD from one place to other was recommended to reduce the hostile effects of metal accumulation in the sensitive ecosystem. Thus, the study suggested and necessitated micronizing the system based on human interference level, ecological risk factors, spatial variability of pollutants and traffic pattern for their efficient management and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaziranga National Park (henceforth, KNP) is a protected area situated in the North Eastern part of India. The park is a World Heritage Site and has a very rich ecosystem. KNP is an attractive tourist destination and occupies a significant place in the life and culture of the people living in this part of the country. Conservation of the park started more than a century ago, and local people have often contested such efforts. This is mainly because indigenous people have been facing displacement and deprivation from resources, which they have been using for centuries. Besides deprivation, wild animals often damage their properties and paddy fields. This leads to resentment among local people and become potential cause of grudge in the form of encroachment, poaching, biodiversity loss, and excessive collection of forest products. As a result, conservation measures may fail to deliver desired outcome. This paper tries to examine the gains and losses for living around KNP and assess the park-people relation. We conduct a case study in some periphery villages of the park and find that people have been suffering from difficulty in rearing livestock and loss caused by wild animal. However, people gain from tourism business. Based on the findings we recommend extension of tourism/allied activities and community welfare measures. The findings may be used to derive policy implication for sustainable management of the park.

The Greater One-horned Rhino of India is an endangered species. We investigate the pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs preserved in rhino dung collected from a communal rhino dung midden in Kaziranga National Park to document the vegetation composition and dietary habits of this rhino. The palynodata reflects the dominance of nonarboreals over arboreals from forested and grassland areas respectively. The arboreals include a mixture of evergreen, riparian, and deciduous taxa, which are strongly indicative of different types of forest in the park. The high presence of grass pollen and phytoliths in the rhino dung was marked and confirmed that grass is the primary food of the rhino. Diatoms and Thecamoeba in the rhino dung assemblage was suggestive of the ingestion of huge amount of water and the water logged condition in parts of the park. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis indicated that the silica contained in rhino dung sample was high in comparison to the others elements and determination of its presence is useful for understanding rhinoceros' habits. The generated data will be helpful and to serve as a guideline for subsequent palaeoecological and palaeodietary studies in the park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventy-eight soil samples were collected from the various locations in the vicinity of Kaziranga National Park (Assam), India, during April to October 2009 and screened for the presence of keratinophilic fungi using the hair baiting techniques for isolation. Thirty-nine isolates were recovered and identified by recognition of their macro- and micromorphological features. Their identification was also confirmed by the BLAST search of sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region against the NCBI/GenBank data and compared with deposited sequences for identification purpose. Eleven species related to seven genera were recorded viz. Aphanoascus durus (1.28%), Arthroderma tuberculatum (3.84%), Arthroderma corniculatum (1.28%), Chrysosporium indicum (16.66%), C. tropicum (3.84%), Ctenomyces serratus (5.12%), Keratinophyton punsolae (1.28%), Microsporum appendiculatum (1.28%), Microsporum gypseum complex (11.53%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (11.28%) and T. terrestre (2.56%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new and one known species of dorylaim nematodes are described and illustrated from Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Prothornenema vulvatum sp. nov. is characterized by having body 1.06–1.17 mm long; lip region cap-like, slightly rounded, offset by constriction with moderate labial and post-labial sclerotization; 10–11 μm long odontostyle; vulva a transverse slit; cuticle both anterior and posterior to vulva with two or three deep invaginations; female tail long filiform, male tail short conoid with 13 or 14 contiguous ventromedian supplements. Allodorylaimus kazirangus sp. nov. is characterized by having body 1.84–2.16 mm long; truncate, slightly offset lip region; 30 μm long odontostyle; amphids duplex; cardia short conoid, an asymmetrical ring-like structure surrounds the junction between pharyngeal base and cardia; transverse vulva; uterus characteristically long, tripartite with wide proximal portion followed by a long narrow intermediate portion with moderately sclerotized inner lining joining a wider pars dilatata distalis; short conoid tail with no sexual dimorphism and males with 13 or 14 contiguous ventromedian supplements. Thornia propinqua (Paesler, 1941) Andrássy, 1957 is redescribed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Carbon sequestration in the Kaziranga forest is high during the premonsoon season. • In the pre-monsoon, it acts as a sink of carbon; in winter it acts as a source. • The year 2016 acted as a net source, while 2018 acted as a moderate sink of carbon. • For the first time, multi-year CO2 flux data from northeast India is presented. Tropical forest ecosystems play a significant role in controlling the global carbon cycle. Several bio-meteorological parameters control the carbon dynamics of a forest ecosystem. We have studied the bio-meteorological processes of a tropical semi-deciduous forest in northeast India to understand the dynamics of the net ecosystem exchange (NEE). On a monthly scale, it is observed that mostly the leaf area index, incoming radiation, vapor pressure deficit, and air temperature control the carbon transfer processes. Furthermore, the diurnal patterns of rainfall and associated cloudiness during the monsoon season indirectly control the carbon uptake by modulating the incoming radiation. The pre-monsoon season is the most preferred, while the winter season is the least favorite time for carbon uptake by this forest. The respiration component of the studied forest ecosystem is higher than the other similar ecosystems in India. The estimated annual NEE of the forest was +177 and -31 gC m−2 yr−1 for 2016 and 2018, respectively. The forest's annual gross primary productivity (GPP) for 2016 and 2018 was estimated as 2693 and 2564 gC m−2 yr−1, respectively. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-cosmologies of indigenous communities which regard the world of humans and the world of nature as closely related to each other, and rites and rituals based on such belief systems are important for theconservation of nature. The objective of this paper is to examine how the culture, particularly the cosmologies and religious beliefs of a indigenous tribal group-the Karbis living near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India have insinuations for the conservation of natural resources. Based on fieldwork conducted in two Karbivillages, one still adhering to the traditional religion with a deep seated reverence for nature and all life forms, and the other which has converted to a new religion, the paper throws light on the changes and challenges to the indigenous ecological ethos in the present context.

Last few decades many animals, birds, reptile and fish species were wiped out from the planet due to human activity. Many more species are likely to lose their existence because of lost their natural habitat, increased human land use and poaching. Rhino is one of them which can be found now only in few protected areas such as Assam, West Bengal etc. of India because of poaching. In this paper, we propose a model of wireless sensor network's application to protect the Rhino against poachers in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. In the model, we place the sensor nodes in the boundary region of the Rhino inhabited area to take necessary action upon detection of human movement. Then, we propose a routing algorithm for the model where a sensor node selects a next hop sensor node based on a fitness function. We also propose a linear programming formulation for the proposed algorithm. Finally, we simulate the proposed algorithm for varying number of sensor nodes and BSs and compare different results in terms of various performance metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses management challenges associated with conserving endangered wildlife facing multiple threats from illegal poaching, habitat encroachment, and climate and land‐use change‐induced flooding. While poaching and encroachment challenges in conservation parks are of immediate nature, climate‐related risks exist in the long term. The park manager faces a utility function that includes as its arguments local community's incomes, benefits to the larger society from preserving threatened species and the financial costs of monitoring and land‐use change efforts. Using the case of single‐horned rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park, India, an optimal mix of monitoring and land‐use changes is designed in presence of tradeoffs between short‐ and long‐term management efforts. As monitoring only addresses immediate challenges associated with poaching and encroachment, long‐term climatic risks remain ignored. Land‐use management offers risk‐protection as well as risk‐insurance benefits with respect to climate change‐induced flooding of the park. Recommendations for Resource Managers It is important to incorporate both short‐ and long‐term risks posed to endangered wildlife while investing in conservation efforts. There may exist a tradeoff between mitigating short‐ and long‐run risks due to financial and physical resource constraints. However, ignoring long‐term risks to wildlife habitats can jeopardize past conservation efforts.Land‐use management, both within and outside of conservation reserves, enhances resilience to climatic shocks through reducing flooding risks and must be an essential part of wildlife conservation efforts.Conservation efforts ignoring local community welfare considerations can become suboptimal as they lead to reduced cooperation and potential conflicts. When wildlife conservation efforts account for local community welfare implications, optimal management plans could result in lower species abundance in the short term. However, increasing the park size through additional land enrollment can mitigate some of this tradeoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]