State panel proposes ‘heritage biodiversity site’ tag for Sarobar, stresses on conservation
Times of India | 19 September 2024
Kolkata: In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the West Bengal Biodiversity Board released a comprehensive biodiversity survey on Wednesday, spotlighting Rabindra Sarobar as one of Kolkata’s most heritage-rich biodiversity hotspots. The lake, which is also the city’s second-largest waterbody, has been proposed as a ‘heritage biodiversity site’ by the board, pending a no-objection certificate from the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the custodian of the lake.
The Board also released a booklet on biodiversity in braille, a first of its kind in India. The survey document, edited by board chairman Himadri Sekhar Debnath and research officer Anirban Roy, highlights the incredible biodiversity of Rabindra Sarobar, including the presence of 7,900 trees and 50 species of microfungi. Debnath emphasized the crucial role of flora in maintaining the ecological balance. Plant species are the main productive units of the ecosystem, contributing largely to the functional aspects of the wetlands, said a Board official.
“We hope to bring Rabindra Sarobar into mainstream conservation efforts. The site is a vital ecological hub and we must ensure it receives the protection it deserves,” said Debnath. As Kolkata grapples with increasing urbanization, Rabindra Sarobar stands as a reminder of the city’s natural heritage.
There are four islands inside the lake, one of which has a mosque connected to the land by a hanging bridge. The rest of the three islands are wild, facilitating important roosting and nesting grounds for water birds like Cormorants, Egrets, Night Herons, Pond Herons, Painted Storks, Asian Openbill, etc. One can easily spot many migratory birds such as Greenish Warbler, Grey Wagtail, Pintail Snipe, Siberian Blue Robin, Siberian Rubythroat, etc., around the lake in the winter. Some parts of the wetland, especially at lake edge, are covered with aquatic vegetation like Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), Sushnishak (Marsilea minuta), Hingcha (Enhydra fluctuans), Water Chestnut (Trapa natans), Borati (Panicum paludosum), Kachu (Colocasia esculenta), Pata Syaola (Vallisneria spiratis), etc. The lake itself is home to many freshwater fishes but fishing is strictly prohibited, the document revealed.