Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS), formerly known as Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary, was notified in 1974 and officially gazetted in 1993 following the merger of Khaling Reserved Forest and Neoli Wildlife Reserve. Located in southeastern Bhutan under Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhag, it spans 362.49 sq.km, making it the second smallest protected area in the country. Bordering Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India, JWS was renamed in 2014 and delinked from Samdrup Jongkhar Forest Division in 2017. It forms a vital part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and connects with Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary and Royal Manas National Park via biological corridors, contributing to the Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA). The sanctuary ranges from 175 m to over 2200 m in elevation and features diverse habitats from hot, humid subtropical forests to cool temperate zones receiving heavy monsoon rainfall and housing 14 perennial water bodies.
JWS is home to 703 plant species, 52 mammals, 327 birds, 84 herpetofauna, 80 fish, and 80 odonata species. Notable wildlife includes Bengal tiger, clouded leopard, Asian elephant, Himalayan black bear, Chinese pangolin, and the rare pygmy hog and hispid hare. The sanctuary harbors seven of Bhutan’s eleven wild cat species including the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), common leopard (Panthera pardus), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and jungle cat (Felis chaus). It is also the only protected area in Bhutan with photographic records of both Temminck’s and Blyth’s tragopans, and supports four out of five hornbill species; Great, Oriental Pied, Rufous-necked, and Wreathed with active nesting sites. The sanctuary provides conservation and outreach services to seven gewogs; Langchenphu, Serthi, Lauri, Samrang, Pemathang, Phuntshothang, and Martsalla with all falling within its boundary except Lauri and Martsalla gewog.
Till date no study was conducted on presence/absence of the critically endangered species of Pygmy Hog and Hispid Hare beside the questionnaire survey in 2014 but the rest of the species were confirmed through camera trapped images.
Mandates:
- Enforcement of FNCA 1995, and FNCR 2000 and FNCR 2006
- Management of Forest Resources
- Conduct research/survey and monitoring of Flora and Fauna
- Implementation of planned target activities of management working plan
- Foster prompt service delivery
- Collaborate among relevant stakeholders to implement Conservation Development Program (CDP).
