Shiroi Community Forest (18298)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2005
National site name: Shiroi Community Forest
Central coordinates: Latitude: 25.1000, Longitude: 94.4588
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1500 to 2570
Area of KBA (km2): 105.60335
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Shiroi Hills is located in the Ukhrul district of Manipur state, at about 100 km northeast of the capital Imphal. Though most of the hills are denuded of forest cover, due to jhum cultivation, the slopes of Shiroi Hills still have good Subtropical Broadleaf Forest with grasses and shrubs on the hilltop. Shiroi Hill is famous for the Shiroi Lily Lilium macklineae, endemic to the Shiroi Ridge. The area supports threatened species such as Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae, Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis and Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii. Considering the ecological importance of the area, the state government of Manipur had proposed to declare the Shiroi Hills (about 4,100 ha) as a National Park but the local community did not agree to hand over their area to the government. However, they are willing to protect it through community initiatives (A. U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2002).
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Eastern Himalayas Hotspot (2005). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2002 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: There is no information on the avifauna of the Shiroi Hills area, except for the known presence of a few endangered birds. Choudhury (2002) recorded Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant at this site. This globally threatened species (BirdLife International 2001) is still found in the hills of Ukhrul and Senapati districts of Manipur. It is also thinly distributed in the hill tracts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, northern and western Myanmar and southwestern China (Ali and Ripley 1983, Grimmett et al. 1998, Fuller and Garson 2000). There are two subspecies of Hume’s Pheasant, one of which, S. humiae humiae, is found in India and western Myanmar, while the other, S. h. burmanicus, occurs in southern China, northern and eastern Myanmar and extreme northern Thailand (BirdLife International 2001). The global population is estimated at a few thousand individuals, and the population of subspecies humiae may be as low as 1,000 (McGowan and Garson 1995, BirdLife International 2001). As the species survives in disturbed and secondary forests, deforestation may not be its main threat. However, this large bird is extensively hunted for its flesh. Shiroi Hills is included in the Eastern Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA), identified by Stattersfield et al. (1998). This bird rich area of India has 21 restricted range species of which two have been definitely identified but more are likely to occur. The site lies in Biome-7 (Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest) and Biome-7 (Sino-Himalayan Sub-tropical Forest) In Biome-7 112 species are listed by BirdLife International (undated). As the habitat is largely intact, many species of this biome are likely to occur here. Detailed investigation on the avifauna is urgently needed. OTHER KEY FAUNA: As in the other hill forests of Manipur, Leopard Panthera pardus, Wild Dog Cuon alpinus, Hoolock Gibbon Hylobates hoolock, Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides and the Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang are among the known mammals. Tiger Panthera tigris and Gaur Bos frontalis are occasionally seen. Not much information is available on the reptiles and amphibians.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 50 | |
| Grassland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Tree felling; Hunting and trapping; Collection of plants; Cultivation. This hill is the only known home of the Shiroi Lily, and the sentiments and emotions of the local people are closely attached to this flower. Uncontrolled visits by tourists and collection of the Lily has led to its severe decline (Salam Rajesh pers. comm. 2003). Protecting this flower and the hill will also protect the threatened birds found in and around the hill. Tree felling and trapping of galliformes are major threats to the habitat and species. Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus is killed in large numbers by villagers during winter, with glued sticks (Choudhury 1998). The local people could be motivated by making them aware of the need to protect this unique hill range. Since the area is not a sanctuary or a national park, conservation efforts, should be initiated by non-governmental organizations with the community leaders. The streams originating from the Shiroi Hill are the only sources of water for Ukhrul town, the district headquarters.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1987) Compact Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (Second Edition). Oxford University Press, Delhi. BirdLife International (undated) Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Asia: Project Briefing Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. (unpublished). BirdLife International (2001) Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, U.K. Choudhury, A. U. (1998) Manipur biodiversity threatened. Sanctuary Asia. 18 (4) 30-39. Choudhury, A. U. (2002) Survey of Mrs Hume’s Pheasant in northeastern India. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in North East India, Guwahati. Pp. 27. Fuller, R. A. and Garson, P. J. (eds) (2000) Pheasants: Status survey and conservation action plan 2000-2004. WPA/BirdLife/SSC Pheasant Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. and the World Pheasant Association, Reading, U.K. Grimmet, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) The Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Christopher Helm Ltd., U.K. McGowan, P. J. K. and Garson, P. J. (1995) Pheasants: Status survey and conservation action plan 1995-1999. IUCN-The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland. Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 7. BirdLife International, U.K.
Contributors: Key contributors: Anwaruddin Choudhury, Salam Rajesh and W. Rajesh Singh.