Centre on flora, fauna at Himalayan national park

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Kullu, May 28

An Interpretation Centre has been developed in the Sainj valley of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) at Sainj Ropa. It gives information about the flora and fauna found in the GHNP. It will focus on orchids and medicinal plants, along with birds and beautiful locations.

All four state symbols — the state bird, Western tragopan; state animal, snow leopard; state flower, pink rhododendron; and state tree, deodar — have been showcased with their descriptions. All four state symbols are found in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The GHNP claims about 10 per cent of the wild population of Western tragopan of the world. The cut outs of large mammals such as brown bears, black bear, snow leopard and musk deer, which are found in the park area, have also been displayed at the centre.

GHNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nishant Mandotra says, “The site attracts bird watchers, trekkers, researchers, trainees of the Forest Department and nature lovers.” He adds that the need for the centre was felt as more tourists were attracted to the area after the improvement in connectivity to the Shangarh meadow, Barshangarh waterfall, Manu Rishi temple and other scenic places in the region. The number of trekkers to Dhel, Homkhani and Shaakti villages has also increased.

The DFO says the main objective of establishing the centre is to apprise the visitors about the beauty of the region. He adds, “The centre will be useful for visitors, including school and college students, who come here for nature walk and awareness programmes.”

He says there is another Interpretation Centre at Sai Ropa in the Tirthan valley, which is about 45 km from Sainj Ropa. He adds various other projects are underway to promote eco-friendly tourism in the region.