With two more places declared Ramsar sites, Tamil Nadu now has the highest number of such sites in the country.
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The State government had submitted proposals for the Longwood Shola Reserve Forest in The Nilgiris and the Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ramsar Sites Secretariat accepted them, and both places were designated as Ramsar sites on January 31. The total number of such sites in the State now stands at 16, the highest in the country, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, said in a press release.
Longwood Shola covers 116.07 hectares. It is among the places deemed Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas. It is home to more than 700 species of flora and fauna. Of the 177 bird species, 14 are endemic to the Western Ghats. It is rich in herpetofauna diversity, with several species endemic to the Western Ghats, and is also considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be threatened. Longwood Shola is an integral part of the fragile Nilgiris ecosystem, and is a major source of water for Kotagiri, supplying water to 18 villages downstream.
The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary covers 453.7 hectares. The wetland is also one of the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas of Tamil Nadu. The site is home to more than 500 species of flora and fauna. The sanctuary lies in the Central Asian Flyway, and is an important breeding and foraging ground for waterbirds.
The department has taken up the task of preparing integrated management plans for Ramsar sites, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, Ms. Sahu said.