New Delhi, Feb. 1: The Assam government is keen to highlight the “improvements” made in Manas National Park and has invited experts to assess the situation, as a step towards restoring the World Heritage Site status to the park.

A five-member team will visit the sanctuary on February 11 to cross-check the government’s claims.

The wildlife sanctuary has been on Unesco’s list of World Heritage Site in Danger from 1992 onwards.

The Assam government claimed that it has rebuilt the national park’s infrastructure, which was damaged because of insurgency. It has also taken measures to protect the tigers in the park and fill up vacant posts among its staff.

“Unesco has threatened that Manas could lose out on its World Heritage Status completely if things don’t improve,” claimed a highly placed source. “This team will spend 10 days in the park to find out if things have changed for the better.”

Despite the government’s claims, there has been a decline in the number of tigers in the park, sources said. A report sent to Unesco recently claimed that the state had inadequate methods of monitoring the national park and there was “no evidence” of the presence of any swamp deer or rhinos.

Unesco is also hoping to co-ordinate with Bhutan, which shares a border with the park, to curb illegal poaching.

An operation conducted by personnel of the Chirang division of Manas, members of the Bodoland Territorial Council and those of an NGO recently yielded an array of wildlife products just before these were to be smuggled out.

There were 32 pairs of antlers, three box turtles, 60kg of venison, a deer carcass, dry fungus and a gun with 30 rounds of ammunition in the hideout.

“Bhutan is concerned about saving its forests, but it lacks the means to protect this part of the park. Unesco officials are keen to meet the authorities in Bhutan to ask them to take more stringent steps,” a source said.

The team, comprising Unesco environmentalists and an expert from International Conservation World Union, will also visit Kaziranga National Park.

“There have been reports of rhino deaths in the park. Team members are keen to visit the site, which is also on the World Heritage List, to survey the situation,” sources added.