In the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh, protecting a forest often means keeping a close watch on what happens beyond the forest itself — from encroachment and illegal timber movement to wildlife conflict and human activity along busy highways.
For Suman Beniwal, a 2018-batch AGMUT cadre Indian Forest Service officer and Divisional Forest Officer of Khellong Forest Division, this has meant working across enforcement, boundary protection, biodiversity conservation and community awareness.
Over the last year, her work has focused on safeguarding 1,341 sq km of Reserve Forests across West Kameng and Pakke Kesang districts, with continuous field-level monitoring and preventive action against encroachment.
Keeping Forest Boundaries Secure
One of the key challenges in managing large forest areas is preventing gradual encroachment before it becomes difficult to reverse. Ms Beniwal has been involved in proactive monitoring of the Reserve Forests under her division, with a focus on identifying and preventing such activities.
Her responsibilities have also extended to the interstate boundary between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. She has contributed to the boundary fixation process in the Pakke Kesang area, covering Papum Reserve Forest, as well as Doimara Reserve Forest in West Kameng.
The work is significant for forest administration because clearly established boundaries help strengthen the management and protection of forest land across state jurisdictions.
Tackling Illegal Timber Movement
Another major area of intervention has been the prevention of illegal logging, timber smuggling and unauthorised transportation of forest produce.
The division has strengthened enforcement at the interstate check posts of Bhalukpong and Balimu, which are important points for monitoring the movement of forest produce. Regular enforcement and field-level vigilance have been part of the effort to prevent illegally sourced timber and other forest produce from moving across state borders.
For a forest division spread across a large and ecologically important landscape, such enforcement forms an important part of protecting the forest beyond its physical boundaries.
Taking Conservation Beyond Enforcement
Ms Beniwal’s work has also included efforts to make conservation more visible and accessible to people.
The Eco-Conservation Camp at Kamengbari and the Biological Park at Khellong have been developed to promote conservation awareness and nature education. These initiatives provide spaces through which local communities and visitors can better understand the region’s biodiversity and the importance of protecting it.
Her work has also extended to the Kameng Elephant Reserve, where human-elephant conflict mitigation has required engagement beyond conventional forest protection measures.
Public awareness campaigns have been conducted to sensitise people about elephant movement and road safety. Cautionary signage has been installed, while efforts have also been made to facilitate speed breakers along the highway passing through the Tippi Elephant Corridor.
The approach brings together forest management, public awareness and infrastructure-related interventions to reduce the risks faced by both people and wildlife.
Contributions Beyond Arunachal Pradesh
IFS Suman Beniwal’s forestry work has not been limited to her present field posting.
She has contributed to the development of two Nagar Vanams in Kurnool Forest Division, at Dhone and Gargepuram, expanding access to urban and peri-urban green spaces.
She also prepared the Working Plan of Kurnool Forest Division, an important document for systematic forest management and planning.
Her administrative contributions further include drafting the Recruitment Rules for Assistant Conservators of Forests and Forest Subordinate Staff in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Together, these assignments show a combination of field-level conservation work and institutional responsibilities.
From monitoring more than 1,300 sq km of Reserve Forests in Arunachal Pradesh to working on forest planning and recruitment frameworks elsewhere, Suman Beniwal’s recent work has covered both the ground-level and administrative sides of forest management.
In a landscape where conservation involves forests, wildlife, communities and inter-state coordination, her work reflects an approach that combines protection on the ground with systems designed to sustain it.
