Guwahati: Assam’s proposed Behali Wildlife Sanctuary has emerged as a haven for butterflies, with a recent survey recording species such as Brown Pied Flat, Lesser Gull, Dark Pierrot, Variegated Rajah and Assam Pasha in the northern Assam landscape for the first time. Several of the species are rare in the northeast.The sightings, along with rare northeast species such as Banded Yamfly, Wizard, Blue Imperial, Long-banded Silverline, Paris Peacock, Golden Birdwing, Orange Oakleaf, Angled Pierrot, Dingy Sailer, Red Spot Jezebel, have highlighted the forest’s ecological wealth and renewed calls for its formal notification as a wildlife sanctuary.The area, a reserve forest since 1917 in northern Assam, was proposed for sanctuary status in 2022 following years of local advocacy that began in 1995. It recently hosted the two-day Behali Butterfly Count-cum-Walk 2.0, which brought together naturalists, experts and nearly 200 students to document its biodiversity and promote conservation.Organised by the Borgang Range Office in collaboration with Nature’s Bonyopran, Wild Heart Foundation, Nature Conservation Society and other NGOs, the event began on Saturday with a butterfly survey across 10 trails.Sixteen-year-old environmentalist Pranoy Mahanta of Behali said the event focused on documenting butterfly diversity, sensitising students and nature enthusiasts to butterfly conservation, and underlining the importance of protecting the proposed sanctuary.“A number of naturalists and field experts recorded more than 150 species of butterflies in the 10 different trails in the sanctuary. The exploration extended into the night to explore the diversity of moths and herpetofauna. The night observations resulted in the sighting of 35 species of moth, four species of amphibian (frogs), two species of snake and two species of owl,” Mahanta said.“Now after so much diversity of wild species, govt should notify the proposed area as Behali WLS for better protection,” he added.The event was inaugurated by Sonitpur MP Ranjit Dutta in the presence of DFO Champak Deka, ACF Khirud Saikia, Borgang Range officer Chandan Rajkhowa, Nature’s Bonyapran environment education secretary Gakul Mahanta and naturalists from across Assam.On the second day, around 189 students from colleges and universities in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh took part in guided butterfly walks. The participants included students from Biswanath College, Behali Degree College, Darrang College, Kaliabor College, Rangapara College, Chaiduar College, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Adarsha Mahavidyalaya, Gauhati University, Tezpur University and Rajiv Gandhi University.At the concluding meeting, Biswanath district commissioner Karabi Saikia Karan released the Behali Bird Count 2.0 report, while Behali MLA Munindra Das released the Butterfly Count Report 1.0. A brochure documenting 126 butterfly species previously recorded in the proposed sanctuary area was also released. The brochure was prepared by Loren Sonowal and Madhab Das.The programme, attended by 223 people, also brought together researchers and nature enthusiasts from Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Guwahati, Jorhat, Majuli and Pasighat, highlighting the growing interest in the proposed sanctuary’s biodiversity.
