36.79 Sq Km of Manas forestland encroached, eviction delay raises concerns

Guwahati, June 4: Notwithstanding repeated concerns voiced by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Assam government continues to drag its feet on clearing large-scale encroachment in Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve. While Manas, a premier protected area and a World Heritage Site has made significant recovery following a decade of ethno-social unrest in the 1990s, IUCN warns that encroachment-triggered habitat degradation can jeopardize long-term conservation goals. The Manas Tiger Reserve authorities, too, have repeatedly been taking up the matter of encroachment with the Baska and Chirang district administrations and the government but to little avail so far. Official data reveals the encroachment to be widespread, covering a staggering 36.79 sq km of protected forestland under illegal occupation.

The break-up of the encroached area includes 8,417.4 bighas at Agrang (Bhuyanara Range), comprising 610 houses/structures and a total of 2,988 encroachers; and 6,128.22 bighas in Panbari Range, comprising 912 houses/structures housing 4,532 encroachers. Besides, the encroached Kokilabari Seed Farm in Bhuyapara Range covering an area of 9.3 sq km forms part of the core/critical tiger habitat of the Manas Tiger Reserve. It is also a part of critical Bengal florican habitat. The farm area was to be returned to the Manas Tiger Reserve authorities on termination of a lease agreement in 2001, which never took place.

The area is currently being given on lease by the BTR government for agriculture purposes, through the Agriculture Department. The IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4 (2025) report had also taken serious note of the encroachment, placing the Manas National Park under “significant concern” due to persistent threats, including habitat encroachment, illegal cultivation, and infrastructure development.

While recovering from a “danger” status, the park faces risks from land degradation, invasive species, and hydrological disruptions from hydropower projects too. Some of the key concerns cited by IUCN regarding land and habitat in Manas National Park include encroachment and land use concerning illegal cultivation and settlement in the Bhuyanpara and Panbari ranges. These have led to habitat degradation, with encroached areas reported in previous assessments, the report noted. Documents accessed by The Assam Tribune expose the State government to be sitting over a critical issue with long-term bearing for Manas. “Representations have been made to the BTR government to hand over the land to the Forest Department as late as May 26, 2023 and January 13, 2022, but a decision in this regard is yet to be taken by the Council government, which has created space for avoidable litigation,” an official communiqué of the Forest Department said. “A concrete decision to hand over the said piece of land back to the Forest Department/ Manas Park authorities needs to be taken by the BTR government, which shall set an example for recovery of the other encroached areas at Betbari and Panbari in Manas and be demonstrative of commitment of the government towards wildlife conservation,” it added.