People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF)

Natmataung National Park – Fire Mitigation Shelter Programs

Known as Mount Victoria under British colonial administration, Natmataung is located in the Southern Chin Hills. Reaching a height of 3,340 meters, it features temperate flora that includes pine and rhododendron forests, as well as hill evergreen forests on wetter slopes. The national park hosts an endemic bird species, with the White-browed Nuthatch and other birds prevalent to the Eastern Himalayas. Large mammals of conservation concern, including Hoolock Gibbon, Leopard, Asiatic Black Bear, Serow, and Goral also inhabit the protected area landscape. Nonetheless, the integrity of this diverse ecosystem is threatened by fire, hunting, agricultural encroachment, and road construction.

To address the immediate threat of forest fires to the most vulnerable part of the park ecosystem, the PRCF and its local partner institution, the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA), initiated a program to provide three permanent shelters along the main trail for local communities. These shelters are equipped with controlled facilities for campfires. The program will be linked to the local primary schools for shared use and shelter maintenance.

Both shifting cultivation and uncontrolled camping fires cause burning at Natmataung. Local villagers often traverse the national park on foot in order to reach the local market town, and for some villagers this journey requires an overnight stay. Temporary fires are lit to cook meals and provide heat during cold nights on the ridge-top trail, with often inevitable consequences, such as inadvertent forest fires.

Objective of the project
Reducing the risk of forest fires in Namataung National Park by providing shelters for travellers with controlled facilities for camp fires.

Background
Namataung, previously known as Mount Victoria, is located in the Southern Chin Hills. Reaching a height of 3340 meters it features temperate flora including pine and rhododendron forests and hill evergreen forests on wetter slopes and at lower altitude with high floral diversity. Namataung hosts an endemic bird species; the White-browed Nuthatch, and other birds endemic to the Eastern Himalayas along with large mammals of conservation concern include Hoolock gibbon, leopard, Asiatic black bear, serow and goral.

Local villagers living inside and around Namataung National Park belong to the Chin ethnic minority. They practise shifting cultivation for their subsistence and depend heavily on forest resources for their livelihoods.

The biological integrity of Namataung is threatened by uncontrolled fires, hunting, agricultural encroachment, and road construction. Uncontrolled fires are caused by shifting cultivation and camp fires. Local villagers often traverse the national park on foot in order to reach the local market town. For some villagers this journey requires an overnight stay. Camp fires are lit to cook meals and provide heat during cold nights on the ridge top trail. Strong winds in the relatively dry pine forest on the ridges increase the risk of uncontrolled fires during the dry season.

Project description
PRCF decided to initially target the issue of forest fires from uncontrolled camp fires as they are highly localized, are an immediate threat to the most vulnerable part of the ecosystem and can be addressed with limited financial and human resources in a short time frame. The foundation is supporting the national park to construct two shelters with secure fire places along the main trail across Mount Victoria. This initial intervention will test the potential for a wider range of interventions in the future to address more complex and widespread threats.

The project is being implemented through a local conservation NGO called Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Associates (BANCA). By working in this way, PRCF is also supporting this local NGO. BANCA has selected Namataung as a priority site for bird conservation in the Eastern Himalaya Endemic Bird Area.

BANCA has been working with the national park to map locations of campsites in order to select the most appropriate sites for constructing the shelters. An awareness campaign is also being conducted in local villages on fire control and use of the shelters.