Type: Wildlife Sanctuaries
Location: Meghalaya
Area: 29.00 Sq.Kms
Location: Ri-Bhoi District, about 53 km distance from Shillong and about 51 km distance from Dispur.
Gazette Notification and Date: No.FOR.25/81/5,Dt.25-03-1981
Conservation value: The Sanctuary falls in the Eastern Himalayan Global bio-diversity hot spot. This area is rich in Floral and Faunal wealth. It has attracted the the attention of wildlife enthusiasts and research scholars from all over the country. J.Joseph, who compiled the flora of Nongpoh and its vicinity in 1982, noted about 1036 taxa of vegetation belonging to 639 genera of 159 families in a study area of about 200 Sq.Kms. He stated that a unit of the South Indian Forests of the Western Ghats, another bio-diversity hot spot, harbors less number of species as compared to these forests. The first ever bird survey carried out by Shri Anwarruddin Choudhury of the Rhino Foundation of India in this Sanctuary from April, 1996 to October,1998, recorded over 400+ species of bird. The survey revealed the presence of endangered species such as the Rufous Necked Hornbill. The area harbors over 50 species of mammals and 25 species of reptiles. Out of 140 species of mammals listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act,1972, about 30 species are found in this Sanctuary.
