New Delhi: Aparajita Datta, 43, scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), was recently conferred the UK’s Whitley Award, also known as the Green Oscar, for her exceptional work to save the endangered hornbills in Arunachal Pradesh.
Along with a team of researchers and forest department officials, Aparajita has been working for more than a decade to protect birds through innovative programmes. Hornbills characterised by their long and curved beaks, particularly fascinated her, after knowing their unique breeding biology and their role as seed dispensers.
This led her to engage with the tribals and understand their socio-economic needs, which is imperative to be able to reconcile people and wildlife. The combined efforts resulted in turning the tribal people from bird ‘hunters’ into bird ‘guardians’.
For the accolades received from the Whitley Fund for Nature, she credits Research Affiliate at NCF, Amruta Rane, who coordinates the field programme, which resulted in nest protection in the forests. And also, another proactive officer of the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, Tana Tapi, a source of strength in holding dialogues with the villagers.
Aparajita was interested in animals from an early age. She recalls, “As a child, I wanted to be a vet, which soon after changed into the desire to be a park ranger after living in Zambia for some years. Biology became my favourite subject in school and I was more inclined towards studying ecology.”
She speaks to Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
Gulf News: What has brought about a change in the tribals to save hornbills?
Aparajita Datta: The change among the Nyishi tribe living around the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) has been happening for a long period. While some changed due to personal experiences, others got into it probably due to constant interaction with forest authorities, researchers and scientists. Some also changed their attitude towards hunting hornbills because they were provided incentives. Through our work, we are now strengthening that change and the tribals are equal partners in our conservation efforts. In fact, we learn a lot from them, especially the earlier hunters, as most have excellent natural history skills and knowledge of the forest.
How many hornbill species do we have and which ones are in danger of extinction?
Globally, there are 54 species of hornbills, which mainly occur in Africa and Asia. India has nine species, of which five (the Great, Rufous-necked, Wreathed, Brown and the Oriental Pied) are found in the northeast. But none of these species is in danger of extinction yet, but at a more regional level, some are more threatened than others.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which categorises floral and faunal species based on threats and global status assessments, has globally classified the Rufous-necked as ‘Vulnerable’, while the Great and Brown are ‘Near Threatened’. The Great and Rufous-necked are more vulnerable to hunting pressures as their tail feathers and beaks are used by some tribes in traditional headgear. The Brown also falls in this category due to its restricted distribution in lowland forest, much of which has been lost.
How are hornbills considered important agents of seed dispersal in the tropical forests?
Most Asian forest hornbills are primarily dependant on fruit, which form a major part of their diet. While many trees in tropical forests produce coloured fruit, hornbills like the black, red or orange one. They fly long distances looking for such fruit. And in this process, become important seed dispensers. Since most fruit they eat have large seeds, they swallow them whole and the fleshy part is separated in their stomach and digested. The cleaned seeds travel up the stomach, come out in the mouth and are spat out. The tiny fig seeds are passed out in droppings, which happens several hours later somewhere far away from the parent tree. Thus, some of these seeds grow into trees in a new place.
You mean, without hornbills, seeds of many fruit varieties could not have reached the dense forests?
Yes. And that’s why hornbills are known as the farmers of the forest. They move over large areas spreading seeds, and ensure regeneration of forests. It is estimated that in PTR they disperse 25 per cent of the known tree species. And the decline of hornbills could result in reduced seed dispersal and affect tree species in forests, which, as it is, are on the decline due to various factors.
In these times of modernity in almost all spheres, are the needs of rural communities still dependent on forest resources for survival?
Indeed, they are still heavily dependent on forest resources. For most daily needs, they require timber — bamboo for house construction and fuel wood for cooking and heating. In addition, they use many kinds of non-timber forest produce, vegetables and medicinal plants for household consumption and subsistence and some for income. This is true across rural India, and especially in Arunachal Pradesh.
How did the ‘Hornbill Adoption Programme’ start?
In 2011, we started a partnership with the Nyishi tribe elders and the forest department to protect hornbill habitat and nest trees. Also, urban citizens were involved in hornbill conservation through the concept of shared parenting. People can adopt nests of four hornbill species by donating an amount of Rs5,000 per nest; although many individuals have contributed more. The donors act as foster parents of hornbills, while local people look after the nests to ensure they are not disturbed and the nest trees are not cut down. The funds are used to provide income to nest protectors and also given to the tribe’s elders for village welfare and development.
BOX
• Aparajita Datta was born on January 5, 1970 to Chitra and Amitabha Datta in Kolkata.
• Finished Grade 12 from Modern High School, Kolkata.
• Graduated from Presidency College, Kolkata — 1991.
• Completed her Masters in Wildlife Science from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun ,in 1993 and obtained her PhD in 2002.
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