Behali Reserve Forest (BRF) is one of the last remaining forests in Assam’s Biswanath district, in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. But large-scale encroachment over the years has shrunk its size, threatening biodiversity. The forest is also a disputed territory between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Communities from both the states have been claiming territorial rights over the reserve forest, a part of the BRF falls in Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh, which claims the forest as its territory and refers to it as Tarasso. BRF on the Assam side falls in Biswanath district.

In January 2014, 10 people were killed and eight injured when alleged armed miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh attacked Chaoldhowa, a settlement inside the BRF on the Assam side and fired as many as 100 rounds from rifles and guns, leading to casualties.

In June 2017, over five hectares of forestland were cleared of encroachments on the Assam side by the Biswanath forest department. Conservationists, researchers and biodiversity experts have expressed concern over the shrinking size of the forest resulting from encroachment. In addition, problems of poaching and logging for timber have threatened the already vulnerable flora and fauna.

In a report titled ‘Natural Resources Management: Sustainable Extraction Level of Forest Production in Assam’ published in 2001, M.C. Bora, founding dean of the School of Management Sciences, said, “Encroachment in Behali Reserve Forest started from 1980. According to the forest department of Assam, the total encroached area is 3,375 hectares, but, in reality, the actual encroachment area is more than 3,500 hectares.”

Behali was declared a reserve forest in 1917. It is home to some 950 species of flora and fauna and houses archaeological relics dating to as early as the 9th century. Located very close to the Kaziranga National Park, Behali also serves as an elephant corridor and is part of the Kameng-Sonitpur elephant reserve on the Assam-Arunachal border.

A person living around Behali told the media that the ‘people from Arunachal at the border are armed, which they use for hunting rather than protecting themselves. Today, if an elephant goes to the other side of the forest, it won’t come out alive’. He added that until a proper demarcation of boundary between the two states was done, land disputes and encroachments would continue in the forest.

Nature’s Bonyopran, a non-profit based in Assam, claims a nexus between the timber mafia of the state and a section of people from Arunachal Pradesh, who while felling trees for smuggling timber also clear the forestland for encroachment.

Dipankar Bora, assistant professor at Goalpara College, calls for immediate attention to save the BRF. He explained to LCW that “encroachment of land, burning of forests and hunting of wildlife can still be seen in the border areas of the reserve, which is a serious concern". "Encroachers from Arunachal Pradesh have claimed most of the hills surrounding the BRF as their territory and have started rubber and jhum cultivations to claim the land. BRF's protection is critically low, and whatever protection is there, it is only towards the Assam side. There is no beat camp or forest office on the other side," he told LCW and added that almost 48 per cent of the forest is lost, and only 60 square kilometres of the intact forest is left of the original notified area of 140 square kilometres.

Meanwhile, the secretary of Nature's Bonyopran informed LCW that the forest department has sent a relevant proposal to the state government and that they are set to change Behali's reserve forest status to a wildlife sanctuary.

After protests and several appeals, the government in a preliminary notification declared Behali reserved forest as a Wildlife Sanctuary in May 2022. However, final notification has not been issued yet.

The officials had increased the land area with the addition of the Singlijan Reserved Forest to Behali, but more than half of this reserved forest (almost 60%) area remains encroached.

Dipankar Bora, Botanist, Researcher, and Assistant Professor at Goalpara College told LCW that as of 2023, there hasn't been any major resolution to the issue of settlement of encroachers. And neither has the border dispute problem been resolved. He added that no forest staff or force has been appointed for the protection of the forest.

In April 2023, a historic agreement was signed between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to resolve long-standing border disputes, including the Behali Reserve Forest. Despite the agreement, encroachment activities persisted from both sides, impacting biodiversity. Reports indicated the establishment of settlements, including roads, schools, and churches within BRF by people from Arunachal Pradesh. Despite the border agreement, clearing the forest of encroachments remains a challenge for conservationists, as illegal logging and agriculture have severely impacted biodiversity.

The land dispute and encroachment in the Behali Reserve Forest (BRF) involving Assam and Arunachal Pradesh has seen significant developments in 2023 and 2024. Recent reports highlight that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought action from Assam authorities regarding ongoing encroachment issues in the BRF. The tribunal's concern stems from long-standing conflicts and deforestation, compounded by illegal settlements and activities within this ecologically sensitive area​.

Further, a remote sensing study in 2023 revealed a worrying reduction of forest cover by 22.88 square kilometers, prompting increased calls from environmental groups to declare BRF a wildlife sanctuary. This is viewed as a potential solution to curb deforestation and address encroachment​.