It is now a legally protected area having been designated in 1983 as the Namdapha National Park under Wildlife (Protection) Act. The same year, it was also declared as a Tiger Reserve under project tiger. With a total area of 1,985-sq-kms, this is the largest national park in the Northeast and one of the larger protected areas in the country.

The farthest part of India in the northeast is named after the rising sun. Rightly so, because it is here every morning that the first rays of sunlight strike the Indian subcontinent heralding a new dawn of activity and expectations. The state of Arunachal Pradesh is endowed with natural and cultural attributes, which make it verily a fantasyland. Here, forests and wilderness predominate in exuberance, extent, density and diversity, which is indeed rare and unique.

While the whole setting is fabulous, one area stands out far above the rest on account of its natural beauty and supreme wilderness. This is the area at the extreme end of Changland district In Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar (Burma) on two sides and watered by the Noa-Dehing and Namdapha Rivers.

The Uniqueness of Namdapha
Certain aspects of Namdapha makes it stand out from the rest of park. The first is the altitude, which varies around 200 metres (nearly sea level) in the valleys to more than 4,500 metres with snow covered mountain peaks. Perhaps no other national park in the world can boast of such phenomenal altitudinal variation. As a result, the climate conditions inside the area are favorable for different species.

Though located at 27 degrees north of the equator and hence being in the sub-tropical zone having a tropical climate, the higher parts of the reserve, which are mountainous and rugged experience cold temperate round the year. Similarly, rainfall is very variable - excessive in the tropical part and scanty in the higher reaches.

Bio Diversity
Namdapha's amazing biography is matched by the tremendous variety of life forms found there, the sun total of which, in scientific language, is called biological diversity, in short bio-diversity. Both the floral and faunal aspects of Namadapha's bio diversity are rich, varied and dazzling.

For instance, the vegetation varies from the wet evergreen tropical and sub-tropical forests to temperate and alpine forests. About 150 species of trees have been identified which include Dipterocarps like the Hollong growing up to 50 metres. The floral species' richness and composition are very impressive indeed and show density, variation and endemicity, which may have few parallels. This includes a rich gene pool of indigenous crop plants along with their wild relatives and ecological variants such as the wild banana, citrus and mango. A formidable list of medicinal and ornamental plants including the wild orchids can be also be made.

It is to be noted that all this information is based on what is known so far, which is undoubtedly far less than what is not known to science so far. Considering the fact that most of the Namdapha national park is inaccessible and unsurveyed, the secrets of botanical wealth that lie hidden there is anybody's guess. This factor has to be kept in mind always and cannot possibly be under-played.

Fauna in Namdapha National Park
The diverse vegetations and habitats of Namdapha grooms diverse species of animals and birds. It is only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat namely the Tiger, Leopard Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Clouded Leopard and numbers of Lesser cats. A number of primate species are seen in the park, such as Assamese Macaque, pig-tailed Macaque, stump-tailed Macaque and number of the distictive Hoolock Gibbons, highly endangered and only 'Ape' species found in India dwells in this impenetrable virgin forest. Of the many other important animals are the Elephants, Black Bear, Indian Bison, several species of Deers, reptiles and a variety of arboreal animals.

Avifauna
The bird life in Namdapha is easily the most dazzling with numerous beautiful species of Avifauna. Some notable ones are the great Indian Hornbill - Arunachal's state bird - the rare white winged wood duck, several colourful Pheasants and other species.

This is Nature and wilderness in its pure, pristine form, which must be safeguarded for posterity under any circumstances. The plain truth is that there is no other Namdapha and no human ingenuity can possibly remake even an iota of it if any part is lost or destroyed.

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