The orchid rich tropical moist deciduous forest of Molcham in the Indo-Myanmar border

ON: Mr. Kishor, where is exactly the location of the region?
RK: Manipur is in north-east India bordering Myanmar. It lies between 23.53oN – 25.41oN Latitude and 93.2oE – 94.47oE Longitude

ON: What is the importance of this habitat concerning orchid species conservation?
RK: The whole of the state/province having an area of 22,327sq. km. can be considered as a natural habitat of different orchid species. Rare and endangered orchids like Renanthera imschootiana and Vanda coerulea are growing luxuriantly in different parts of the state. So, conservation of habitat these rare and endangered should be considered as of prime importance.

ON: What could you tell about the climate and geographical conditions of this particular region? It seems to be varied.
RK: Sub-tropical to sub-alpine climate prevails within this small geographical area which has an altitudinal variation from 50-3000 metres above sea level. Monsoon feeds for almost 6 months in a year. Hence various orchid habitats exist in Manipur. 

ON: You said it is a transitional zone between Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese biogeographic regions. What could you tell us about them and about the differences they presented?
RK: North-east India is a mountainous region running in north-south direction which marks its difference from the mighty Himalaya in the north-west and plains of Myanmar in the east. Gelogically speaking the structural and tectonic features of NE India i.e. the Indo-Myanmar (Burma) range have evolved as a result of interaction between the Indian and Myanmar plates rather than the Indian and the Eurasian (China) plates. So, this region has a distinct character of its own.

ON: Which are the most harmful activities which threat the conservation not only of the orchids but the also the nature including flora and fauna?
RK: Shifting cultivation or Jhum is an important occupation of the different tribes inhabiting the hills. This practice is the major threat to the habitats in this region. Besides, expansion of cities and towns, agricultural areas, development of large dams for hydroelectric generation, illegal lumbering etc. are the main threats to the survival of habitats in this region.

Degraded forest for Jhum (Shifting cultivation) in Manipur

ON: Which are the conditions of the people who live in the area? Are they aware about the importance of the conservation? The nature represents their way of survival?
RK: Over 90% of the geographical area of Manipur is covered by hills and the major occupation of the tribes inhabiting in these areas is shifting cultivation. They are generally very poor and it makes them difficult to change their occupation from the traditional agricultural practice. They are very less aware of the importance of conservation of habitat and what sustainable utilization is all about. They only know how to exploit the rich resource their forest harbours.

Illegally collected pseudobulbs of medicinal
Dendrobium meant for smuggling from the forest
in Manipur

ON: The Northeast India is considered as an orchid paradise. Why? Which are the conditions that make it so special? Which is the size of this region?
RK: North-east India is one of the centres of origin of flowering plant and hence there is rich diversity of orchids too. NE India is having over 850 orchid species. Prevalence of monsoon, varied agro-climatic condition and diverse topography are some of the conditions that make NE India an orchid paradise. Size of NE India is approximately 183,813 sq. km.

ON: Having over 850 species is quite extraordinary. Which are the genera and species most common? The most part are epiphyte or terrestrial?
RK: Bulbophyllum, Calanthe, Coelogyne, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Eria, Habenaria, Liparis, Oberonia, etc. (not in order of number) are the important genera commonly found in this region. Rare and endangered species like, Renanthera imschootiana, Vanda coerulea, Cymbidium tigrinum, Paphiopedillum spp. Majority of the orchids are epiphytic.

A rare double-flowered Paphiopedillum spiceranum from Manipur	Paphiopedillum hirsutissimum in its habitat in Manipur

ON: You mentioned that, in Manipur, Orchidaceae is represented by 249 species under 69 genera and the region would be the corridor for transmigration of the orchid flora between India and other Southeast Asian countries. What are you doing for the conservation of this region? The government has a special project?
RK: I should say conservation effort is very negligible in NE India comparing to whatever is done in other parts of the world. I have been micropropagation selected orchid species and trying to reintroduce in different habitats. However, conservation of habitat requires a greater challenge and it cannot be an individual’s effort. Again as a breeder I have been synthesizing a few hybrids involving rare and endangered orchids in an attempt to conserve the potential genes in the hybrids so that they may be retrieved when required in future. The state government has already established an orchidarium for preservation of the orchids of Manipur, however, it still has no special programme or project for conservation and sustainable utilization of its rich orchid resource.

Half-burnt D. jenkinsii in the forest in Molcham	A fallen tree trunk with plants of Eria acervata in the fire ravaged forest of Molcham

Rajkumar Kishor
Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development
Takyelpat Institutional Area, Imphal-795001, Manipur, India
Phone: 91-385-2446121, 22
E-mail: rajkumarkishor@yahoo.com