Gupteshwar Forest : Biodiversity Heritage Site
Gupteswar Forest, adjacent to Gupteswar Shiva temple in Odisha’s Koraput district has been declared as the 4th Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) of the state.
- Gupteshwar Forest covers 350 hectares of demarcated area and holds immense cultural significance with its sacred groves, traditionally revered by the local community.
- It harbours a remarkable diversity of flora and fauna.
- The forest is home to at least 608 faunal species, including 28 species of mammals.
- Notable faunal species documented in the forest include the mugger crocodile, kanger valley rock gecko, sacred Grove Bush Frog, and various avifauna such as black baza, Jerdon’s baza, Malaber trogon, common hill myna, white-bellied woodpecker, and banded bay cuckoo.
- The limestone caves within the forest are home to eight species of bats, two of which are under the near-threatened category.
- The forest also boasts a rich floral diversity.
- It includes threatened medicinal plants like the Indian trumpet tree and Indian snakeroot.
- Biodiversity Heritage sites (BHS) are well-defined areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems with a high diversity of wild and domesticated species, the presence of rare and threatened species, and keystone species.
