BARIPADA: The Similipal tiger reserve (STR) has been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
The recognition came after Regional Plant Resource Centre(RPRC), Bhubaneswar, joined hands with Similipal Biosphere Reserve authorities to document its varied flora and fauna, other special features and conservation efforts carried out in this bio-diversity hotspot. The report was presented to the UNESCO convention in Paris recently. It is one of the 14 biosphere reserves of India.
This was announced at a workshop organised jointly by the RPRC and STR on Monday. Speakers opined that it was essential to document forest management in Similipal during the last one century.
On the occasion, Director and Chief Executive of RPRC Ajay Mahapatra highlighted the complex dynamics of man and nature relationship in a varied landscape as Similipal which houses 1,076 vascular plants, 93 species of orchids, 400 medicinal plants and many wildlife species.
The RPRC has been selected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests as one of the lead centres of the country to facilitate and co-ordinate research programmes on Similipal.
In the ensuing years, the RPRC has planned to collect and compile all database pertaining to medicinal plants, rare and endangered species, wild crop relatives, historical information and socio-cultural data which will be hosted on website for use by researchers, managers and conservationists.
Mahapatra said the Centre had already started screening and identifying superior clones of Asoka (Saraca asoca) trees from Similipal and has standardised vegetative propagation of Lssiococa comberii, the plant species available only in Similipal.
The tree has unique termite resistant property having high hardwood value but has poor regenerating capacity, so it is on the verge of extinction.