Activist: Heritage tag will help protect Mahendragiri in Odisha

BERHAMPUR: The state government's recent decision to accord the biodiversity heritage site tag to Mahendragiri has been met with appreciation by environmentalists in Gajapati district. Speaking to TOI on Saturday, "The biodiversity heritage site tag will help in conserving Mahendragiri's rich flora and fauna," the president of Odisha Environment Society, S N Patra, said.
On Friday, the state government had issued a notification declaring 4,250 hectares comprising two reserve forests - Idongiri and Mahendra - in Mahendragiri hill eco-system as a biodiversity heritage site. This is the second such site in Odisha after Mandasaru gorge in Kandhamal.
"The hill eco-system acts as a transitional zone between the flora and fauna of Western Ghats and the Himalayan biogeographic zones, making the region an ecological estuary of genetic diversities. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining the ecological balance and controlling the climate of southern Odisha and Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. The fragile ecosystem is also being treated as a critical habitat of Saora (Saura) and Kondh tribes" the notification stated.
According to sources, the hill ecosystem includes 388 species of animals, 27 species of mammals, 165 species of birds, 23 species of snakes, 15 species of amphibians, three species of turtles, 19 species of lizards, 100 species of butterflies and 36 species of moths. Patra has also urged the government to recommend to the Centre to declare Mahendragiri as a biosphere reserve. "The state government in 2011 had constituted a committee to study Mahendragiri's feasibility to be declared as a biosphere reserve and the committee had found that all criteria matched," he added.