Directive Strategies for Conservation and Threat Mitigation in Similipal Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Biosphere Reserves (BR), the multipurpose protected areas with boundaries circumscribed by a legislative framework and are recognized as the 'laboratory for sustainable development'. Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) in Odisha, one of the BRs in the eastern zone of India, has an array of habitats and ecosystems such as mountains, grasslands, wetlands, moist deciduous forests, and is rich in biological resources (e.g., flora and fauna), including some of the endemic species. The available reports, as acquired from the web-based search engine, reveal the presence of floral assemblage encompassing aquatic plants, bryophytes, algal diversity, lichens, edible fruits, medicinal plants; and the faunal richness inclusive of almost all the animal taxa, viz., mammals, aves, reptiles, amphibia, pisces and a range of invertebrate species. Further, reports on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and ethnobotanical aspects from the SBR are also available. This article highlights, in brief, various ecological and socio-economical facets of SBR based on the available reports and scholarly literatures. Since most of the scientific explorations have been undertaken from an academic perspective, there is a need for intervention with a pluralistic approach for conservation of natural resources in the biosphere reserve. This article is an offshoot of an attempt to consolidate the existing reports/literature on the SBR and prioritize management interventions to mitigate the threats. Further, to facilitate an efficient, comprehensive management plan, a way forward, by identifying and integrating broad aspects for conservation, is presented that is applicable for SBR and all PAs of the country in general