A high-altitude sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh protecting forests, lakes, and rare Himalayan wildlife around Mehao Lake.
Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary
Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected natural area in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, in northeastern India. Declared in 1980, it was established with the specific aim of conserving the biodiversity surrounding Mehao Lake, one of the most significant high-altitude lake ecosystems in the region.
The sanctuary covers a substantial area of mid-elevation to high-elevation terrain, giving it remarkable ecological diversity across a relatively compact footprint. Its forests range from tropical evergreen at lower levels to sub-tropical, temperate broad-leaved, and temperate coniferous forests at higher altitudes. This altitudinal layering supports a wide spectrum of plant communities, rare orchids, and a large variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Mehao is particularly valued as a refuge for some of eastern Himalaya's most charismatic and threatened species, including the Mishmi takin, red panda, clouded leopard, and Rufous-necked Hornbill. The combination of dense forest cover, lake-driven microclimates, and limited human disturbance gives the sanctuary a strong identity as a biodiversity-rich protected landscape within the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.
