News Excerpt:

Gupteswar forest, located near the Gupteswar Shiva temple within the Dhondrakhol reserve forest of the Jeypore forest division in Odisha’s Koraput district, has been officially recognized as the state’s fourth Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).

More details about the news:

• The designation of Gupteswar as a BHS not only strengthens the cultural bond between the local populace and the forest but also plays a pivotal role in safeguarding its invaluable biodiversity.
•  With this designation, Odisha now boasts 4 Biodiversity Heritage Sites, including Mandasaru BHS in Kandhamala district, Mahendragiri BHS in Gajpati district, and Gandhamardan BHS in Bargarh and Bolangir district.
• The state government has urged the Odisha Biodiversity Board to devise a comprehensive long-term conservation and development plan for these sites, with a focus on active involvement of local communities.

About Gupteswar forest:

• Spread over a demarcated area of 350 hectares, the site holds immense significance not only for its sacred groves, revered by the local community for generations, but also for its rich diversity of flora and fauna.
• Notable among the faunal species documented here are the mugger crocodile, kanger valley rock gecko, grove bush frog, as well as avifauna such as the black baza, Jerdon’s baza, Malabar trogon, common hill myna, white-bellied woodpecker, and banded bay cuckoo.
• The limestone caves within the Gupteswar forest also provide habitat for eight species of bats, two of which—galeritus and Rhinolophus rouxii—are categorized as near-threatened according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• The forest boasts a diverse array of flora, including 182 species of trees, 76 species of shrubs, 177 species of herbs, 69 species of climbers, and 14 species of orchids. Additionally, the presence of threatened medicinal plants such as the Indian trumpet tree, Indian snakeroot, Cumbi gum tree, Garlic pear tree, Chinese fever vine, Rohituka tree, Jodpakli, Indian jointfir, as well as various wild crop relatives of ginger and turmeric underscores its ecological significance.