Bhubaneswar: A forest adjacent to Gupteswar cave shrine in Odisha’s Koraput district has been accorded the status of Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act 2002, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed on Friday.
“The unique terrestrial ecosystem with wide array of flora and fauna has been recognised as a prized gift of nature,” he posted on X.
The forest is spread over 350 hectares and is home to 608 faunal species. “Its floral diversity includes 182 species of trees, 76 species of shrubs, 177 species of herbs, 69 species of climbers and 14 species of orchids and threatened medicinal plants,” he added.
Notably, the Odisha government had earlier notified Mahendragiri hills in Gajapati, Mandasaru gorge in Kandhamal district and picturesque Gandhamardan hill range of Balangir and Bargarh districts as bio heritage sites in the state.
