Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a national park located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, Assam, India. It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997 with an area of 765km2 (295sqmi), including a core area of 340km2 (130sqmi) and a buffer zone of 425km2 (164sqmi).
It is located at about 12km (7.5mi) north of Tinsukia town at an average elevation of 118m (387ft), ranging from 110 to 126m (361 to 413ft). The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers in the north and Dibru River in the south. It mainly consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands. It is the largest salixswamp forest in north-eastern India, with a tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter. Annual rainfall ranges from 2,300 to 3,800mm (91 to 150in). It is a haven for many endangered species and rich in fish diversity.[1][2] In December 2020, Gauhati highcourt stayed a permission given to Oil India Limited for hydrocarbon exploration at seven locations inside the protected area.[3]
Conservation
The area was declared as Dibru Reserved Forest in 1890. In 1920, additional area was added to the Dibru Reserve Forest. In 1929, Saikhowa Reserve Forest was declared. In 1933, more area was added to the Dibru RF. In 1986, an area of 650km2 was preliminarily declared as a wildlife sanctuary, out of which finally 340km2 was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1995. In 1997, Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve was declared with an area of 765km2 that included the 340km2 of sanctuary area as the core. In 1999, the 340km2 of sanctuary area was declared as national park.[4]
Choudhury, A.U. (2009). The genesis of a national park. In Incredible Dibru–Saikhowa National Park. Dwivedi, K.K. (ed.). Dibru–Saikhowa Conservation Society, Tinsukia, India. Pp. 6-11.
Choudhury, A. U. (2010). The vanishing herds, the wild water buffalo. Gibbon Books, The Rhino Foundation with support from ATREE and COA, Taiwan, Guwahati.