After Sultanpur national park and bird sanctuary, Gurgaon will soon have a reserved forest zone to protect the endangered blackbuck population. The area for reserved forest was planned way back in September 1957 but there were no steps taken to develop a natural habitat for the protection of the species. Now, Gurgaon forest department has earmarked a 140-hectare land at Sarbasirpur for the purpose. The blackbucks will now have a new home right next to the bird sanctuary.
In the past, the Sultanpur-Farukhnagar-Jhajjar corridor reported a number of blackbuck sightings. Former captain of the Indian cricket team, Late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was in 2005, booked in Jhajjar on charges of poaching a blackbuck.
“This place offers an ideal habitat for blackbucks, which are enlisted in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act,” said a senior forest officer.
The Sarbasirpur reserve forest area will be developed over a span of four years to facilitate the blackbuck's natural habitat. The forest department has also considered including other species gradually. In the first phase, the department aims to develop 80 hectares of land in the first two years. The remaining work would be carried out over the next two years and the project is expected to be completed by 2019 end.
The earmarked area was earlier used to serve as a salt pan for harvesting salt. After the practice was discontinued, it slowly transformed into a scrub forest and then into the open forest it is now. Botanical species such as Salvadora persica, Prosopis, Cineraria, Azadhirachta Indica, Carissa Carandas and Capparis are naturally found in the region.
“The blackbuck usually inhabits grassy plains, thinly forested areas and scrub lands," said the official. "It survives best in hot and humid conditions, which is great, as the area has the perfect climate for the blackbuck for over eight months a year."
Blackbucks travel long distances in search of water. The department has proposed three waterholes within the zone for the Indian gazelle.
