Meghalaya prepares dossier for inscription of Garo Hills Conservation Area on UNESCO World Heritage list

SHILLONG:

Meghalaya Forest Minister James Sangma, on Wednesday, informed that the Forests & Environment Dept with the assistance from the Wildlife Institute of India is preparing a dossier for the inscription of Biodiversity Rich Areas in Garo Hills under the name 'Garo Hills Conservation Area' to be included on the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

“The proposed Garo Hills Conservation Area (GHCA) would comprise three legally designated Protected Areas namely, Nokrek National Park (47.48 sq. km), Balpakram National Park (162.08 sq. km) and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary (5.18 sq. km),” Sangma tweeted.

In 2018, the Centre nominated the Garo Hills Conservation Area (GHCA) for a World Heritage Site.

The GHCA is rich in endemic medicinal plant species, with 14 and six species recorded from Nokrek and Balpakram.

The Forest Minister also stated that the buffer zone of the proposed GHCA would comprise Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) of these Protected Areas, Rewak and Emangiri Reserved Forests and certain privately/community-owned areas falling between the afore-mentioned Reserved Forests and ESZs.

(Edited by Ladiangti Rani)

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