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 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)