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Odisha govt notifies Mahendragiri hill as biodiversity heritage site
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IANS | 26 Nov, 2022
The
Odisha government has declared Mahendragiri hill in Gajapati district
as biodiversity heritage site to preserve local habitats rich in plants
and animal life.
"The government has been pleased to
declare an area of 4250 hectare of Mahendragiri covering two reserve
forests (Idongiri and Mahendra) in the district of Gajapati under forest
division of Parlakhemundi as the second biodiversity heritage site of
Odisha," read a notification issued by the Forest, Environment &
Climate Change (FE&CC) department.
Notably, Mandasaru Gorge
area, spread over 544 hectares in Kandhamal district is Odisha's first
such heritage site, notified in 2016.
The state government has declared the new biodiversity heritage site on the recommendations of the Odisha Biodiversity Board.
Mahendragiri
hill, located 1000 metre above mean sea level, is one of the
biological, ecological and archaeological important mountain ecosystems
in Odisha.
As per the notification, the hill ecosystem acts as a
transitional zone between flora and fauna of Western Ghats and the
Himalayan biogeographic zones making the region an ecological estuary of
genetic diversities.
With increased altitude, the hill complex
demonstrates several micro climatic conditions like tropical shola,
tropical semi-evergreen, tropical moist-deciduous & tropical dry
deciduous.
The diversified vegetation with rich floral diversity represents 40 per cent of the reported flora of Odisha.
A
total of 1,358 species of plants including 1,042 species of angiosperms
under 122 families, 60 species of pteridophytes, 104 species of
bryophytes, 53 species of lichens and 72 species of macro-fungi and 2
species of gymnosperms occurring in the hill ecosystem.
In terms
of botanically curious plants, 44 species of orchids, eight species of
insectivorous plants and more than 300 species of medicinal plants are
found in the mountain area.
The hill is an abode of 20 species of
threatened medicinal plants ascertained by Foundation for
Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT), Bangalore.
Out
of 154 threatened plant species identified for Odisha, at least 60
species are reported to occur here which is ascertained from various
scientific publications.
The faunal diversity of the hill
consists of 388 species of animals which include 27 species of mammals,
165 species of birds, 60 species herpetofauna (23 species of snakes, 15
species of amphibians, 3 species of turtles, 19 species of lizards), 100
species of butterflies and 36 species of moths.
The hill complex is a critical habitat for Caecilians, Golden Geckos and frogs, 6 species of owls and 3 species of owlet.
Besides,
Mahendragiri hill also plays a pivotal role in maintaining the
ecological balance and controlling the climate of the entire south
Odisha and Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
It is also home
to ancient temples of Kunti, Bhima, Arjuna and Yudhisthir which come
under the coverage of Antiquate Monument Archaeological Remains and
Sites Act 1958 and draws nearly 1 lakh devotees every year.
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