Satkosia Gorge designated as Ramsar site; 3rd such site in Odisha
Satkosia Gorge designated as Ramsar site; 3rd such site in Odisha
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Bhubaneswar: The third such wetland of worldwide significance in Odisha, Satkosia Gorge in the Angul district has been named a Ramsar site.
"Good news," wrote Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Satkosia (wildlife) on Twitter.
Ramsar status has been granted to Satkosia. The endangered Indian Skimmer, which has the southernmost distribution of endangered gharials, is drawn to the special ecosystem of Satkosia.
It is one of the 10 additional wetlands in India that have received the designation, according to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Bhupender Yadav. There are six more wetlands in Tamil Nadu and one each in Odisha, Goa, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.
In Odisha, Chilika Lake and the Bhitarkanika Mangroves already bear the designation. In 2021, Bhitarkanika, a mangrove ecosystem home to crocodiles, birds, and other wildlife, was designated as a wetland of world significance. Chilika Lake was named a Ramsar Site in 1981 and spans 1,16,500 hectares in the three districts of Khurda, Puri, and Ganjam.
Ramsar sites are essential for preserving a region's ecological biodiversity.
Within the Satkosia Tiger Reserve is the Satkosia Gorge, a tiny section of the River Mahanadi close to Tikarapada that is home to a variety of wetlands and evergreen forests. It is a portion of the Satkosia Sanctuary, which the state government was made aware of in 1976. The Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats, two biogeographic regions of India, converge at this wetland, resulting in a huge diversity of species.
In these catchments, the trees are extremely important for preventing gorge siltation. According to the official description, it also aids in maintaining a particular ideal depth of water, which is essential for the spawning of commercially significant carp species and the survival of the endangered gharial population.
The gorge is renowned for its diverse and abundant wildlife, particularly for the presence of uncommon species such freshwater turtles, gharials, and muggers. Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Angul, M Yogajayanand to TNIE: "The Ramsar site certification would help us gain more government support for the conservation of its biodiversity.
According to Yogajayanand, who is also the Field Director of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the emphasis after receiving the Ramsar tag will be more on biodiversity protection because the area is part of the core area.
