Assam: Scientists Trace Kaziranga’s Evolution into the Ultimate Haven for the One-Horned Rhino

Guwahati: A recent and groundbreaking study that sheds new light on how centuries of climatic variations and human intervention have reshaped the distribution of megaherbivores across the Indian subcontinent. The report published in Catena (Elsevier) is also a reflection on the fact that the iconic one-horned rhinoceros made Kaziranga in Assam its safe heaven over the centuries.

According to researchers, Kaziranga’s present landscape has a very different resemblance to its ecological past. The megaherbivores, including the Indian rhinoceros, were once historically spread across India, especially in the northeastern region, but the ever-changing climate and ecology have now made them nearly extinct.

According to fossil records analysed in the study, it has been revealed that rhinoceroses were historically widespread across India, especially in the northeast. However, this broad distribution began collapsing during the Holocene.

The findings further point out that north-eastern India went through major and significant climatic deterioration, particularly during the ‘Little Ice Age.’ Furthermore, ever-intensifying human activities such as reckless deforestation and rampant poaching triggered a long-term decline, resulting in the regional extinction of these megaherbivores from the region.

In sharp contrast to the rest of the country, northeastern India remained comparatively stable over the past 3,300 years. It has experienced fewer climatic disruptions and lower anthropogenic stress. This relative stability acted as a refuge, enabling the eastward migration of rhinoceroses and their eventual concentration in what is now Kaziranga National Park.

The study has reconstructed Kaziranga’s prior vegetation patterns, the fluctuations in the climate, and human interventions, providing a rare insight into the fact of how the northeastern ecosystems respond to environmental change over millennia.

Scientists emphasise that this long-term perspective is important for shaping the upcoming conservation strategies for the future, especially as modern climate change poses new threats to vulnerable species.

The research underscores a critical message: understanding ancient ecological shifts can help protect today’s wildlife, ensuring that species like the Indian one-horned rhinoceros continue to survive in an increasingly uncertain world.

The study further demonstrates how long-term vegetation and climate changes shaped wildlife survival, migration, and extinction, providing long-term ecological knowledge that can help guide better conservation and wildlife management under present and future climate change.

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