 These increases are simultaneously accompanied by decrease in cover area of evergreen/semi evergreen closed forests from 152.47 km2 in 1978 to 95.27 km2 in 2005.This could be due to the practice of shifting cultivation by villagers at the border of the reserve.A 62-km fence and patrol road along the Bangladesh boundary near the reserve in Mizoram is hindering the free movement of Tigers at Dampa.