Bhubaneswar: A forest adjacent to Gupteswar cave shrine in Odisha’s Koraput district has been accorded the ‘biodiversity heritage site’ status.
The forest, spread over 350 hectares of land, has been accorded the biodiversity heritage site status under the Biological Diversity Act 2002, said the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in a twitter (X) post today.
The Gupteswar forest is home to 608 faunal species. Similarly, its floral diversity includes 182 species of trees, 76 species of shrubs, 177 species of herbs, 69 species of climbers and 14 species of orchids and threatened medicinal plants, added the CMO.
The #Gupteswar Forest in #Koraput district has been accorded the status of Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act 2002. The unique terrestrial ecosystem with wide array of flora and fauna has been recognised as a prized gift of nature. #SabujaOdisha… pic.twitter.com/a89aYFIKcz
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) February 9, 2024
“The unique terrestrial ecosystem with wide array of flora and fauna has been recognized as a prized gift of nature,” it said.
Notably, Mandasaru hills of Kandhamal, Mahendragiri hills of Gajapati and Gandhamardan hills of Balangir and Bargarh districts were earlier accorded the biodiversity heritage site tag by the Forest, Environment and Climate Change department of the state government.
The biodiversity heritage site status entails long-term protection, conservation and management of species that are classified as endangered and endemic to the region.
