JOIN US10 ancient trees named arboreal heritage
Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a programme in Mangalore University, Western Ghat Task Force Chairman Ananth Hegde Ashisara said the trees have been declared as heritage trees after looking at its exceptional nature.
The trees are ‘Adansonia digitata-Malvaceae’ in Bijapur taluk, which is 600 years old; ‘Adansonia digitata-Malvaceae’ in Bijapur taluk, 359 years old; ‘Tamarindus Indica’ (tamarind) in Devarahipparagi village of Bijapur - 883 years old; ‘Azadirachta Indica (Bevu) - at T Venkatapura in Chikkaballapur district 200 years old; ‘Ficus Begalensis’ (Alada mara) in Chickkahalli in Mysore taluk - 260 years old; ‘Ficus Religiosa’ (peepal) in Manasagangothri of Mysore - 160 years old; ‘Kempu boorga mara’ in Palace Gate of Mysore - 130 years old; ‘Ficus Bengalensis’ (Doddalada mara) - Kethohalli in Bangalore, 400 years old; ‘Araucaria cookie’ - Lalbagh, 140-years old; ‘Pilali’ (Ficus Micro Corpus) - in Banavasi of Shimoga district - 400 years old. The Board has recommended to the government to issue a notification in this regard.
Biodiversity hot spots
He said the Board has declared Nethrani island popularly known as Havala (coral) Island, 15 km from Murdeshwar, Hogarekan near Kadur in Chikmagalur, Ambaragudda in Kodachadri as biodiversity hot spot in the State. About 12 areas in the State have already been declared as Medicinal Plants Conservation Area (MPCA). One more area at Kollur in Udupi will be included under Medicinal Plants Conservation Area. Ten more areas will be declared as Medicinal Plants Conservation Area soon.
A public hearing on amendment to Karnataka Tree Preservation Act was held on August 3. However, the government withheld its decision on the Amendment to the Act with environmentalists opposing the move.
Earlier there was exemption for 10 trees including acacia, coffee, bevu for felling of the trees by farmers who have grown it in their land. Now farmers are demanding that the examption list include30 more species of trees grown by them.
Agro-biodiversity
A meeting on agro bio-diversity will be held on August 12 at Aranya Bhavana in Bangalore to discuss on the bio diversity in agriculture and the need for preserving it.