Assam set to get its sixth national park

Assam is set to get its sixth national park as the state forest department has proposed to upgrade the 422-sq km Ripu reserve forest.

Forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Saturday said the process for approving the new park–Raimona National Park has been initiated.

Suklabaidya released the map of the new park at Manas National Park.

“Another success feather is adding to the biodiversity cap of Assam soon as we have initiated the process for approving the proposal for the 6th National Park of Assam the ‘Raimona National Park’. Today unveiled the map of this upcoming park at Mathanguri, Manas National Park,” Suklabaidya said in a tweet.

The existing five national parks are–Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Orang National Park.

Ripu reserve forest is part of the buffer zone of Manas national park bordering Bhutan. The forest along with Chirang reserve forest is home to endangered Golden Langur.

The proposed national park also shares contiguous forest patches of Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park of Bhutan creating a trans boundary conservation landscape of more than 2,400 sq km2.