Context: At the recently held Republic Day parade state of Arunachal Pradesh, showcased its Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, a 17-square-kilometre biodiversity hotspot.

About Singchung Bugun Community Reserve

• Singchung Bugun Community Reserve is 17 square km biodiversity hotspot in Arunachal Pradesh.

• It was instituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• It is home to critically endangered bird species Bugun Liocichla, which is not reported anywhere else in world.

• It lies right next to Eaglesnest Wildlife sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot, which is also home to the bird species.

Bugun Liocichla

• The bird was identified as a new species in 2006 and is reportedly only new bird species to have been discovered in India since 1947.

• It has been named after Bugun tribe because of their conservation efforts.

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified Liocichla as Critically Endangered (CR).

• There are only about 20-24 pairs which live in the area.

What is a Community Reserve?

• Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones,connectors, and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests in India.

• Such areas are designated as conservation reserves if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities, and community reserves if part of the land is privately owned. 

• These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002, an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) of 1972. 

• These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.

• The provisions of the WLPA apply to an area once it has been declared a community reserve.

About Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) of 1972

• The Government enacted Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 with the objective of effectively protecting the wildlife of this country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives. 

• The Act was amended in January 2003 and punishment and penalty for offenses under the Act have been made more stringent.