Sessa Orchid Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Sessa Orchid Sanctuary is a 100 km2 protected area of India
in the Himalayan foothills in Bhalukpong
Forest Division of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh
. It conjoins Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
to the southwest. It is a part of the Kameng Protected Area Complex (KPAC), which is an Elephant Reserve
. See map. The department of Environment & Forests
has developed trekking routes for visitors to enjoy the natural habitats of orchids. There are deep gorges and valleys, high peaks and rugged terrain that are rewarding for nature lovers and adventure tourists. A nursery includes representative specimens of various orchid species of the sanctuary and a demonstration farm of Cymbidium
hybrids for cut-flower production. Most of Sessa has traditionally been claimed by the Bugun tribe as part of their territory.
-Bomdila
highway (and Pakke immediately beyond) are its eastern boundary. It is bounded to the north by the Tenga River valley. Altitude is 900 metres (2,953 ft) to 3250 metres (10,663 ft).
Sessa and Eaglenest ridges rise to 3250 metres (10,663 ft) and 2700 metres (8,858 ft) respectively and are the first major barriers to the monsoon
as it moves north from the plains of Assam. These ridges get over 3000 millimetres (118.1 in) of rain on the southern slopes and about 1500 millimetres (59.1 in) on the northern slopes.
Sessa sanctuary is drained by the Tippi Naala (Tippi river) which joins the Kameng river at Tippi village on the Bhalukpong-Bomdila highway. Topographic map
Sessa is part of the Kameng protected area complex (KPAC), the largest contiguous closed-canopy forest tract of Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Sessa, Eaglenest, Pakke, Nameri, and Sonai Rupai sanctuaries and associated reserved forest blocks. The Complex covers 3500 km2 in area and ranges from 100 metres (328 ft) to 3300 metres (10,827 ft)3300m in altitude.
Sessa is in an area under claim of Chinese sovereignty, in the jurisdiction of Cuona County of Shannan Prefecture
of the Tibet Autonomous Region
.
, Coelogyne
, Eria
, Phaius
and Liparis. The sanctuary is unique in having 7 endemic species of saprotrophic orchids. 12 rare species of different families were found in one study of the area.
The ORDC discovered the new species: Biermannia jainiana, Cleistoma tricallosum, Dendrobium kentrophyllum, Epipogium sessanum, Eria jengingensis, Eria lohitensis, Gastrodia arunachalenisis and Herminium longilonbatum.,
(CEPF), a consortium of major international and
regional organizations, has identified the Eastern Himalayan region around Arunachal Pradesh
(Nepal, Bhutan and all of North-East India) as a critical global biodiversity rich area
deserving of conservation focus. They identified the North-Bank Landscape (i.e. north bank of Brahmaputra, extending up the Eaglenest and Sessa slopes) and the Tawang region as worthy of particular focus.
Sessa is within the Conservation International
Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot
area.
Birdlife International
has designated Sessa and Eaglenest Sanctuaries as an Important Bird Area (IBA IN344), with Blyth's Tragopan
identified as a vulnerable species
of the area.
Protected areas of India
As of May 2004, the protected areas of India cover , roughly 4.95% of the total surface area.-Classification:India has the following kinds of protected areas, in the sense of the word designated by IUCN:-National Park:...
in the Himalayan foothills in Bhalukpong
Bhalukpong
Bhalukpong is a small town located along the southern reaches of the Himalayas in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The town is located at 213m above sea level, 100 km from Bomdila, 52 km from Tezpur and 5 km from Tipi. It lies along the Kameng river and is the...
Forest Division of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
. It conjoins Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
Eaglenest or Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east. Altitude ranges extremely from to...
to the southwest. It is a part of the Kameng Protected Area Complex (KPAC), which is an Elephant Reserve
Project Elephant
Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support of wildlife management efforts by states for their free ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants...
. See map. The department of Environment & Forests
Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh
The Department of Environment and Forests of Arunachal Pradesh or DEFAP is a state-sponsored agency responsible for conserving the environment, by establishing protected areas in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.Statistics=...
has developed trekking routes for visitors to enjoy the natural habitats of orchids. There are deep gorges and valleys, high peaks and rugged terrain that are rewarding for nature lovers and adventure tourists. A nursery includes representative specimens of various orchid species of the sanctuary and a demonstration farm of Cymbidium
Cymbidium
Cymbidium , or boat orchids, is a genus of 52 evergreen species in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It was first described by Olof Swartz in 1799. The name is derived from the Greek word kumbos, meaning 'hole, cavity'. It refers to the form of the base of the lip...
hybrids for cut-flower production. Most of Sessa has traditionally been claimed by the Bugun tribe as part of their territory.
Geography & climate
Sessa and Eaglenest together occupy a rough east-west rectangle with Sessa occupying the north-east quadrant. The BhalukpongBhalukpong
Bhalukpong is a small town located along the southern reaches of the Himalayas in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. The town is located at 213m above sea level, 100 km from Bomdila, 52 km from Tezpur and 5 km from Tipi. It lies along the Kameng river and is the...
-Bomdila
Bomdila
Bomdila is the headquarters of West Kameng district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India.-Geography:Bomdila is located at . It has an average elevation of 2217 metres .-Demographics:...
highway (and Pakke immediately beyond) are its eastern boundary. It is bounded to the north by the Tenga River valley. Altitude is 900 metres (2,953 ft) to 3250 metres (10,663 ft).
Sessa and Eaglenest ridges rise to 3250 metres (10,663 ft) and 2700 metres (8,858 ft) respectively and are the first major barriers to the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
as it moves north from the plains of Assam. These ridges get over 3000 millimetres (118.1 in) of rain on the southern slopes and about 1500 millimetres (59.1 in) on the northern slopes.
Sessa sanctuary is drained by the Tippi Naala (Tippi river) which joins the Kameng river at Tippi village on the Bhalukpong-Bomdila highway. Topographic map
Sessa is part of the Kameng protected area complex (KPAC), the largest contiguous closed-canopy forest tract of Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Sessa, Eaglenest, Pakke, Nameri, and Sonai Rupai sanctuaries and associated reserved forest blocks. The Complex covers 3500 km2 in area and ranges from 100 metres (328 ft) to 3300 metres (10,827 ft)3300m in altitude.
Sessa is in an area under claim of Chinese sovereignty, in the jurisdiction of Cuona County of Shannan Prefecture
Shannan Prefecture
The Shannan Prefecture also known as the Lhoka Prefecture is a prefecture in the southeastern area of the Tibet Autonomous Region...
of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
.
Orchids
Sessa is noted for the occurrence of more than 200 orchid species with 5 new and endemic species. Sub-tropical types include the genera Dendorbium, BulbophyllumBulbophyllum
Bulbophyllum is the largest genus in the orchid family Orchidaceae. With more than 2,000 species, it is also one of the largest genera of flowering plants, exceeded only by Astragalus...
, Coelogyne
Coelogyne
Coelogyne Lindl. 1821, is a genus of over 200 sympodial epiphytes from the family Orchidaceae, distributed across India, China, Indonesia and the Fiji islands, with the main centers in Borneo, Sumatra and the Himalayas. They can be found from tropical lowland forests to montane rainforests. A few...
, Eria
Eria
Eria is a large genus of orchids with more than 500 species distributed in tropical Asia, Malaysia, Australia, Polynesia and other Pacific islands....
, Phaius
Phaius
Phaius is a genus of large, mostly terrestrial orchids . The genus has about 20 species. These species are found in tropical Asia, into China, Japan, Australia, and west to Africa and Madagascar...
and Liparis. The sanctuary is unique in having 7 endemic species of saprotrophic orchids. 12 rare species of different families were found in one study of the area.
Orchid Research and Development Centre
The Government of Arunachal Pradesh in the late 70s created a post of Orchidologist in the Forest Department and in 1989 established the Orchid Research and Development Centre (ORDC) at Tipi, and the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary 20 km away. The ORDC is actively engaged in exploration and collection of Orchid species, cultivation in orchidaria and gardens for their taxonomic study, conservation of rare and endangered species, creation of germplasm collections and multiplication of rare species through tissue culture techniques.The ORDC discovered the new species: Biermannia jainiana, Cleistoma tricallosum, Dendrobium kentrophyllum, Epipogium sessanum, Eria jengingensis, Eria lohitensis, Gastrodia arunachalenisis and Herminium longilonbatum.,
Conservation
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership FundCritical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a global program that provides provides funding and technical assistance to nongovernmental organizations and other private sector partners to protect critical ecosystems. They focus on biodiversity hotspots, the Earth's biologically richest yet most...
(CEPF), a consortium of major international and
regional organizations, has identified the Eastern Himalayan region around Arunachal Pradesh
(Nepal, Bhutan and all of North-East India) as a critical global biodiversity rich area
deserving of conservation focus. They identified the North-Bank Landscape (i.e. north bank of Brahmaputra, extending up the Eaglenest and Sessa slopes) and the Tawang region as worthy of particular focus.
Sessa is within the Conservation International
Conservation International
Conservation International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which seeks to ensure the health of humanity by protecting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity. CI’s work focuses on six key initiatives that affect human well-being: climate, food security, freshwater...
Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot
Biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” , revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in...
area.
Birdlife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
has designated Sessa and Eaglenest Sanctuaries as an Important Bird Area (IBA IN344), with Blyth's Tragopan
Blyth's Tragopan
Blyth’s Tragopan or the Grey-bellied Tragopan is a pheasant that is a vulnerable species.-Distribution and Population:...
identified as a vulnerable species
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
of the area.