Guneri village, spread over an area of 32.78 hectares in Lakhtar tehsil of Kutch district, has been declared as Gujarat’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS). It is a natural inland mangrove site. Gujarat Biodiversity Board has notified the 32.78 hectare “Guneri’s Inland Mangroves” area in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district as Gujarat’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS). It is located at a distance of only 1.75 km, 4 km and 45 km from the Great Rann of Kutch, Kori Creek and Arabian Sea respectively. It is also known as Guneri Inland Mangrove Site. It is a habitat for 20 migratory and 25 local migratory bird species.The mangrove species found here is “Avicennia marina”. Gujarat Biodiversity Board notified BHS under Section 37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Gujarat Biological Diversity Rules 2010 of Government of Gujarat.
Inland Mangroves
- Inland mangroves are unique ecosystems, found farther from the coastal areas than the common mangroves.
- They are found in saline water affected environments such as lagoons, river deltas and estuaries.
Inland mangroves are very rare and found only in a few countries:
- Australia, Antigua-Barbuda, Bahamas, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan.
- In India, inland mangroves are located only in Kutch, Gujarat.
- Shravan Kavadia and Guneri were the only two inland mangrove sites in India.
- The ‘Shravan Kavadia Mangrove’ is now extinct due to depletion of saline water.
Inland Mangroves of Guneri
- This inland mangrove site is rare and of great ecological importance.
Legal framework
- The declaration was made under the Biodiversity Act, 2002.
- The site has been declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).
- Unlike normal mangroves, it does not depend directly on seawater.
Location and Geography
- Located in Kutch district of Gujarat.
- Located 45 km from the Arabian Sea and 4 km from Kori Creek.
- Unlike coastal mangroves, the site never comes in contact with seawater.
- Spread over flat, forest-like land, with no mud deposits.
Role of Limestone
- Inland mangroves are found in areas with limestone deposits.
- Limestone is associated with the sea level, which maintains continuous flow of groundwater.
- The Western Kutch region including Guneri has rich deposits of limestone, which support this distinctive mangrove ecosystem.
Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS)
BHS are clearly defined areas that are unique ecologically sensitive ecosystems. These are terrestrial, coastal and inland water and marine sites that contain rich biodiversity as well as one or more of the following components:
- Richness of wild and domesticated species or inter-specific ranges
- High endemism
- Presence of rare and threatened species, keystone species, and species of evolutionary importance.
- Past dominance of biological components as represented by fossil beds.
- Areas of significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic significance for maintaining cultural diversity.
- Protected areas of medicinal plants.
Identification and declaration of BHS: State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) may invite suggestions for declaration of BHS or consider suggestions already received from communities through Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) and other relevant community bodies, including gram sabhas, panchayats, urban wards, forest protection committees and tribal councils. Budget: Once a BHS is notified by the State Government, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) may financially support the initial establishment of BHS by allocating adequate funding support in the form of seed money through the State Biodiversity Board (SBB). Also, the financial requirement of the BHS may be included in the annual budget of the local body.
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
- It was established in the year 2003 by the Central Government to implement the Biodiversity Act of India (2002).
- NBA is a statutory body which acts as a facilitator, regulator and advisor to the Government of India on issues relating to conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits thereof.
- NBA is headquartered at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- NBA advises the State Government on the selection of areas of biodiversity importance to be notified as heritage sites under sub-section (1) of section 37 and on the management measures for such heritage sites.