The state government has added four new biodiversity heritage sites (BHS) in West Bengal, taking the total tally to eight.
The chairman of the West Bengal Biodiversity Board H.S. Debnath said: “We have made a gazette notification of the new sites in March. Once these sites are declared BHS, a local committee will be formed with the local administration, academics, NGOs and community members who take over the conservation of the sites.”
Debnath was speaking at the World Heritage Day celebration organised by the West Bengal Heritage Commission at Nandan on Tuesday.
The four new sites are Char Balidanga and the state Horticulture Research and Development Station campus in Deypara — both in Nadia, Namthing Pokhar in Darjeeling and the Amkhoi Fossil Park in Birbhum.
Char Balidanga comprises two islands on the Hooghly with tropical riverine vegetation of tall grasses and swampy flat lands that are periodically inundated with tidal ebbs. It is the habitat of nearly 100 species of birds and many endangered animals listed under the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) List of Threatened Species.
“Char Balidanga comprises two islands of approximately 115.8 acres covered with algal mats, a type of microbial mat that supports many species,” said Debnath.
Namthing Pokhari, a Himalayan natural wetland covering 11.91 acres in the Kurseong block, is another new BHS in the state.
“Namthing Pokhari is the home to the Himalayan salamander. It also has its own set of traditional beliefs that need to be respected while doing conservation efforts,” added Debnath.
The Amkhoi Fossil Park near Ilambazar in Birbhum district with an area of 10 hectares has unique geological and paleo-botanical features. It is the first wood fossil park in West Bengal.
The Board has also listed the campus of the state Horticulture Research and Development Station in Deypara panchayat in Krishnagar block as another BHS.
Spread over 97.88 acres, it hosts indigenous germplasm of 50 varieties of mango, and seven varieties of guava and several others.
The existing four BHS in Bengal include Chilkigarh Kanak Durga in Jhargram, Baneswar Shiv Dighi in Cooch Behar, Tonglu and Dhotrey in Darjeeling.