A Sanctuary on Paper: Behali and the Cost of Delayed Protection
Assam's Behali forest has shrunk from 140 to 80 sq km as encroachment outpaces a notification that was never finalised — a case study in how protection fails at the last mile
What happened
Environment answers become persuasive when a candidate can name the exact governance failure, not just lament 'habitat loss'. Behali supplies it: a sanctuary notified in principle but never finalised, a forest halved by encroachment, and forest staff under attack. It is a textbook case of protection failing at the last mile — legal status on paper, erosion on the ground.
Behali Forest: Shrinking Sanctuary
Behali Reserve Forest — Area Lost
Source: The Assam Tribune
Behali Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Biswanath/Sonitpur area of Assam, in the Eastern Himalaya foothills, near the disputed Assam-Arunachal boundary.
●It is a wildlife corridor connecting protected areas — situated between Nameri National Park (west) and in the broader landscape toward Kaziranga (south) — and forms part of the Sonitpur Elephant Reserve.
●Species of note: Asian elephant, tiger, Bengal slow loris, white-winged wood duck (a rare, endangered duck), and Chinese pangolin; the area is an 'Important Bird Area'. In India, wildlife sanctuaries are declared under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (state governments issue a notification of intent, followed by settlement of rights and a final notification). Behali's problem is that the final notification remains pending years after the preliminary gazette notification, weakening enforcement while encroachment shrank the forest from ~140 sq km to ~80 sq km.
●Wildlife corridors are unprotected or semi-protected strips that allow animal movement between habitats, crucial for gene flow and for reducing human-wildlife conflict.
Behali shows that legal protection is only as strong as its final notification and field enforcement — a corridor 'notified' but not finalised is a corridor still being lost.
◎ In Simple Words
In Assam there is a special forest called Behali that is home to elephants, tigers and rare birds, and it works like a natural pathway that lets elephants move safely between two big national parks. But people have been illegally cutting down its trees and grabbing its land — so much that the forest is now about half the size it used to be. The government promised to make it a protected wildlife sanctuary years ago but never finished the paperwork to fully protect it. So the animals' home keeps shrinking while the protection stays stuck on paper.
Factual Pointers
Practice · 2 questions
With reference to the declaration of a Wildlife Sanctuary in India, consider the following:
1. It is declared under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. The process involves a preliminary notification followed by settlement of rights and a final notification.
3. The boundaries of a wildlife sanctuary cannot be altered except by a resolution of the State Legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'white-winged wood duck', associated with forests like Behali in Assam, is best described as:
Mains Practice Questions
"Legal protection without timely notification and field enforcement is protection only on paper." Discuss with reference to the erosion of Behali Wildlife Sanctuary and India's forest governance. (250 words, GS3)
Wildlife corridors are as important as core protected areas. Examine the ecological role of corridors and the challenges to their protection in India. (250 words, GS3)
Human-elephant conflict is often a symptom of habitat fragmentation. Analyse the linkage and suggest measures. (150 words, GS3)
MCQ Practice
3 questions on this article
With trap analysis, approach guide, and UPSC angle
Frequently Asked
· People also askWhat is Behali Wildlife Sanctuary?
Behali is a semi-evergreen forest in Assam's Biswanath (Sonitpur) district and an important elephant corridor between Nameri and the wider Kaziranga landscape, hosting the Asian elephant, tiger, Bengal slow loris, Chinese pangolin and the endangered white-winged wood duck.
PrelimsIt is part of the Sonitpur Elephant Reserve and is designated an 'Important Bird Area'. It sits along the disputed Assam-Arunachal boundary.
SOURCE The Assam Tribune
Why is Behali Wildlife Sanctuary in the news?
It faces serious illegal encroachment, tree-felling and even firing on forest personnel. Its final wildlife-sanctuary notification remains undeclared years after the preliminary one, and the forest has shrunk from about 140 sq km to only 80 sq km — a roughly 43% loss.
GS3The loss illustrates 'last-mile' enforcement failure: a corridor notified in principle but never finalised deters neither encroachers nor tree-fellers while the habitat is steadily lost.
SOURCE The Assam Tribune
How is a wildlife sanctuary declared in India?
Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 — via a preliminary notification of intent, settlement of rights, and a final notification. Behali's protection is weak precisely because the final notification is still pending years after the preliminary one.
PrelimsAfter amendments, the boundaries of a sanctuary or national park can be altered only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife — a safeguard that only bites once the final notification exists.
SOURCE Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
What is a wildlife corridor?
A corridor is a strip of habitat connecting protected areas that lets animals — especially elephants — move between them. It is vital for gene flow and for reducing human-elephant conflict, and is directly threatened by encroachment.
GS3Fragmented corridors force elephants into human-dominated landscapes, intensifying crop damage and retaliatory killings — so corridor protection is also a conflict-mitigation and human-safety measure.
SOURCE Project Elephant, Ministry of Environment
What does Behali reveal about India's forest governance?
That legal protection is only as strong as its final notification and field enforcement. Under-resourced forest departments, contested land tenure and violence against personnel create an enforcement vacuum that lets encroachment outpace protection.
GS3Successive elephant-corridor assessments (the Elephant Task Force, 'Right of Passage' reports) document a national pattern of corridor loss; Behali is distinctive because the decline was enabled by an unfinalised protective notification.
SOURCE The Assam Tribune