BENGALURU: All efforts are being made to protect the myristica swamps in Karnataka and ensure they are protected and declared as eco-sensitive areas and biodiversity heritage sites. Mohammad Tabrez Alam Sharif, Chairman of the Western Ghats Conservation Task Force Committee (WGCTFC), said there are 500 myristica swamps in Karnataka that need to be protected for their rich biodiversity and heritage value.
A letter for the same was penned to the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, the National Biodiversity Authority and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). A dedicated team from the Centre will soon be coming to the state to assess them and provide the special status, he said.
Pertaining to the myristica swamps, Sharif said, protecting them is essential as they are a source of water for major rivers. These locations have fresh water round the year and are the lifeline of the forests and the surrounding areas. A joint conservation plan with the forest department and biodiversity board is required for protecting the region, he said.
Sharif was speaking at the sidelines of the flag-off of the wildlife week on Friday. On the occasion, a special commemorative postcard series of 10 Western Ghats districts was released by Forest, Environment and Ecology Department Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
The 10 exclusive postcards capture the ecology, tapestry, endemic wildlife, geological formations and cultural heritage of Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshin Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar.
Shariff said that a special postal cancellation for the Western Ghats and the 10 districts will also be released. Also a dedicated Western Ghats Anthem and Western Ghats song will also be released.
Swamp Ecosystem
Rare heritage ecosystems
Found mainly in Uttara Kannada & Agumbe
Freshwater forest swamps in low-lying WG valleys
Traditionally protected for their primitive wild species
Myristricaceae family
Among India’s most primitive forest ecosystems
Crucial for water storage
Important for carbon storage