The countdown has begun for a decision on a proposal to grant the UNESCO’s coveted World Heritage Natural Site tag for the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh, a biodiversity hot spot in the western Himalayas.
The World Heritage Committee is scheduled to meet in Doha, Qatar, between June 15 and June 25, to consider the inscription of nine natural sites for World Heritage tag which also includes the lone entry from the country.
The World Heritage Committee has examined the submitted documents prepared by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and a NGO called Friends of GHNP. Efforts in this direction were being carried out since the last two years by a team of experts, including scientists and forest officials.According to Dr K Ramesh from WII the heritage committee has decided to Inscribe the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, India, in its World Heritage list on the basis of criterion (x) of UNESCO Guidelines.
It states, “That to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.”The GHNP, with an area of 754.4 sq km of conservation area, is naturally protected by snow capped steep ridges on its northern, eastern and southern boundaries. Complaints lodged by locals concerning access to religious sites, said the official.
The inclusion of Sainj (90 sq km) and Tirthan (61 sq km) WlS has enhanced its total area to 905.40 sq kms.The upper mountain glacial and snow melt in GHNP, which is the origin of various rivers that reach River Beas and ultimately to Indus sustains vital eco-systems and remarkable landscapes. GHNP exhibits a complete representation of Western Himalayan landscapes from high mountain/glacier geography down to the critical lower-elevation river and riparian habitats they sustain, said the experts.
GHNP is home to several Rare and Threatened species including the Western Tragopan, Cheer Pheasant, Snow leopard, Himalayan Musk Deer, Asiatic Black Bear, Himalayan Tahr, Blue Sheep and Serow. Nearly 25 Threatened IUCN Red-listed plant species have been recorded in the park.
Comparative analysis undertaken by World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) of UNEP says that GHNP supports a substantial portion of the species found in the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot. This includes 8 per cent of the plant species, 10 per cent of the mammals, 21 per cent of the birds, 7 per cent of the reptiles and 9 per cent of the amphibians. Besides, there are several endemic species and globally threatened species.
According the forest officials, issues of rights of local communities in the GHNP have also been settled in 1999. A sum of Rs17,976,000 (about $473,000 at the 1999 rate of exchange) was awarded to 369 families. However, the cultural rights of access to sacred spots in the GHNP remain intact and people exercise these during festivals.
The GHNP authorities send a forest guard to monitor activities during the festivals and keep tab on poaching incidents, resource damage or littering.In the past 12 years, there have been no complaints from the local communities in connection with their access to religious sites, said the officials.