UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to restore the World Heritage status to Manas National Park, Assam.

Words hardly suffice to describe that sprawling landscape called Manas National Park in Assam, which converges on the banks of the majestic Manas River flowing down from the Bhutan Himalayas. The atmosphere inside is serene, interrupted only by the occasional chirping of birds and the gurgling sounds of the stream flowing by. The ubiquitous peacock often crosses your path.

In June, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in its 35th conference in Paris decided to restore the World Heritage status to Manas National Park in view of the improved wildlife protection measures and regained resources.

Located about a five-hour drive away from Assam’s main city of Guwahati, the wildlife protection area attracts hordes of domestic and foreign tourists during the winter months.

It is a unique wildlife protection area in the country, with five different conservation badges – tiger reserve, world heritage site, biosphere reserve, national park and an elephant reserve. Manas is arguably the only wildlife habitat that harbours more than twenty Schedule I species as listed in the Wildlife Protection Act of India.

The floral and faunal resources, coupled with its unique ecology, had provided enough reasons for the UNESCO to recognize the core area of Manas National Park as a World Heritage Site way back in 1985. Unfortunately, the good work accomplished then suffered a setback during a turbulent phase in the Bodo-tribe-dominated areas of Assam during late the 1980s and throughout the 1990s.

Consequently, Manas became the only natural heritage site in India to be tagged “in danger” by the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO in 1992. The reasons given were political instability, loss of natural heritage and decline in protection apparatus, damage to infrastructure and the management of the park during that troubled phase.

However, the situation in Manas Park took a turn for the better after the Bodoland Peace Accord was signed between the agitating Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and the Government of India in February 2003.

Once normalcy was restored, the management of the park could once again focus on rebuilding the lost heritage site. With unwanted elements out of the park area, it was time for reconstructing the ravaged infrastructure.

Because of the concerted efforts of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) administration, which has jurisdiction over Manas Pak, forest officials, groups of local, regional, domestic and international NGOs, and the community, Manas has seen a rare turnaround in less than a decade.

Rhinos have been reintroduced into Manas through translocation. Elephant and wild buffalo populations have been stabilized. Populations of hispid hare, pigmy hog and Bengal Florican have added to the uniqueness of the wildlife protection area. Lesser known, rare species like the white winged duck and the Manipur bush quail have also been sighted here. Manas has been a tiger reserve since 1973, and there has been a renewed effort to conserve the endangered tigers.

Reputed organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) are involved in rhino translocation to Manas Park under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is also playing an important role in the translocation of rhinos, elephants, bears etc. Ecosystem-India is working on pygmy hog conservation, while Aaranyak is conducting research (mapping of habitats, monitoring population of Bengal floricans, Hispid hares, and elephants), education and community development programmes in Manas.

“There is still an uphill task ahead to improve Manas infrastructure, set up world class wildlife and habitat monitoring system, to attract more wildlife buff as well as tourists,” said K Borgoyari, BTC Executive Member in charge of forest and tourism.

“Armed with the heritage status once again, the park authority is now looking forward to greater co-operation with the management of Royal Manas National Park across the Indian-Bhutan border,” said Park director A Swargowary.