Question: Which of the following statements are correct-
i) The Odisha government has proposed a second biosphere reserve in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri.
ii)It is a hill ecosystem having rich biodiversity.
iii) Similipal Biosphere Reserve is Odisha’s first Biosphere reserve.
a) only i
b) only ii
c) i,ii
d) all of above
Ans: d
Context
- The Odisha state government has proposed a second biosphere reserve in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri.
Facts
- This biosphere is located at an altitude of 1,501 metres in mountains in the Gajapati district of the state. Mahendragiri is also the second-highest peak in the state.
- The area of the proposed Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve is around 470,955 hectares and is spread over Gajapati and Ganjam districts in the Eastern Ghats.
- As per a feasibility report prepared by the Biosphere Reserve Committee for the proposed project, the hill ecosystem is acting as a transitional zone between the flora and fauna of southern India and the Himalayas. This makes the region an ecological estuary of genetic diversity.
- The feasibility report has been submitted to the government which will now be taken up by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
By kameshwar shukla