NE India Forests 2nd plant diversity

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Forests of NE India second highest in plant diversity: WWF

 

A new survey finds that forest areas in northeastern India have an

unprecedented 107 plant species, and are surpassed in plant bio-

diversity only by the forests of Sumatra. This increases the urgency

to save these forest areas, already on the Global Biodiversity

Hotspots list

 

 

Forests in the North Bank Landscape (NBL) spanning the Indian states

of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh contain the world's second richest

plant biodiversity, according to a new assessment by the World Wide

Fund for Nature (WWF). In addition to the unprecedented number of

plant species recorded here, the region also contains some of the

last prime habitats for the Asian elephant, tiger and other

endangered species.

 

A `rapid appraisal' conducted by WWF-India's Asian Rhinos and

Elephant Action Strategy (AREAS) programme, over 3,000 sq km of

forests in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, recorded an unprecedented 107

plant species in a single 200 sq km stretch of forest.

 

Preliminary results indicate that the North Bank Landscape is

surpassed in plant diversity only by the forests of Sumatra in

Indonesia, making it the second richest centre of plant diversity on

the planet. "The NBL is a jewel in the crown of Indian forests," said

Andrew Gillison, author of the report and head of the Australian

Centre for Biodiversity Management that conducted the survey for the

WWF.

 

The North Bank Landscape encompasses a geographical area of around

84,000 sq km in the two northeastern states, comprising parts of the

Himalayan mountain range and the Brahmaputra river. The area is one

of the most important sites for the Asian elephant, containing as

many as 3,000 animals -- the largest single elephant population in

northeast India.

 

Although the report raises the level of forest plant biodiversity

known to science, it also focuses on a new urgency to save the North

Bank Landscape's forest areas, which are under tremendous pressure

and may well be gone in a few years. "This is a distinct possibility

unless timely and appropriate policy interventions are initiated in

earnest and quickly," said WWF-India's CEO Ravi Singh.

 

"While the discovery makes this global biodiversity hotspot really

significant, it poses a greater challenge and offers an opportunity

to conserve this wonderful natural heritage for posterity."

 

Uncontrolled exploitation of forests and destruction of animal

habitats are increasingly restricting large mammals to smaller areas

of forests within the landscape area. "This is clearly impacting both

plant and animal habitats and will have significant implications for

forest biodiversity in the short term," Singh added.

http://www.infochangeindia.org/EnvironmentItop.jsp?section_idv=6#3852

Source: www.panda.org, March 11, 2005