Which district in Odisha has been declared as the fourth Biodiversity Heritage Site?

Solution

•     The Odisha government has declared the Gupteswar forest in Koraput district as its fourth Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS). •     The forest is adjacent to the Gupteswar Shiva temple in the Dhondrakhol reserve forest under the Jeypore forest division. •     Earlier, the State government had declared Mandasaru in Kandhamal district, Mahendragiri in Gajpati, and Gandhamardan in Bargarh and Bolangir districts as Biodiversity Heritage Sites. •     As per the biodiversity inventory and survey conducted by the Odisha Biodiversity Board, the site has 608 faunal species including 28 species of mammals, 188 species of birds, 18 species of amphibia, 48 species of reptiles, 45 species of pisces, 141 species of butterflies, 43 species of moths, 30 species of spiders, six species of scorpion, and 20 species of lower invertebrates. •  The State government has asked the Odisha Biodiversity Board to prepare a long-term plan for intensive conservation and development of these sites through direct participation of the local communities. •  An amount of ₹35 lakh has been provided for preparation of the action plan and awareness building activities in the localities. Learn Along: About Odisha Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik                         Capital: Bhubaneswar                 Governor: Raghubar Das