Siberian visitors freeze Assam-Meghalaya border dispute

 Arrival of Amur Falcon

• Amur Falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia, Mongolia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern Africa.
• Its IUCN Conservation status is “Least Concerned”
• Doyang Lake near Pangti village in Nagaland’s Wokha district is their stopover since 2010.

Amur Falcon Festival

• The Tyrso Valley Wildlife Protection Society is an NGO formed by the villagers of the eponymous Meghalaya village adjoining Umru.
• The group has been organising the Amur Falcon Festival since 2015 to celebrate the “birds that have this back-of-beyond area famous”.
• The festival is scheduled on fortnight before the birds are expected to soar for the next destination on their migration.
• The Umru-Tyrso area, about 75 km northeast of Shillong, however, is a relatively recent pit stop for the Amur falcons.
• The birds used to flock to Umwang, also in the Block II disputed area, from 1998-2009 before human interference made them shift base.

United for Conservation

• Umru is in Block II, one of 12 disputed areas along the Assam-Meghalaya border, since Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972.
• Assam claims the village is under Baithalangso Assembly constituency of East Karbi Anlong district while Meghalaya asserts it is under Mawhati Assembly constituency of its Ri-Bhoi district.
• The 50-odd Gorkha households in the village prefer to be in Assam while the 30 Khasi tribal households want to be in Meghalaya.
• But these disputes are forgotten when the village welcomes the falcons in mid-October, uniting to ensure a safe stay for the birds.
• Both communities have made common cause in protection of the Amur falcons and have fixed a fine of ?25,000 for anyone caught ensnaring or killing the birds.

Changtongya Community Conservation Reserve

• The migratory birds earlier used to roost in very large numbers in the Changtongya Community Conservation Reserve but moved on to Pangti and Yaongyimchen, a lesser roosting site.
• Efforts are on to revive the Changtongya area, about 100 km north of Pangti, for the migratory raptors.

By: Ziyaur Rahman