The Tirumala Hills are largely known for their devotional and
spiritual activity but the region has come to form a unique fountainhead
of biodiversity in the country.
The Unesco has declared the 4,756 sq. km of the Seshachalam hill ranges spread over Kadapa, Kurnool and Chittoor districts as the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve and also promoted a biosphere lab at Tirupati, attached to the AP Forest Department with monitoring by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The core zone of 750 km of uninhabited region is home to 38 species of mammals, wild animals and 178 varieties of birds, twelve amphibians, 27 species of lizards and three snake groups. The golden lizard (gekko) is a specialty of the Seshachalam hills. Zoologists and researchers have identified civet cats, slender loris, 63 varieties of green and colourful parrots.
The oncoming CoP-11 global bio-diversity conference will also address the burning issues of the Seshachalam Biodiversity Reserve, according to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive officer L.V. Subrahmanyam.
“The TTD is committed to environmental protection and hence we have initiated steps like a ban on plastics, fostering of tree plantations, water conservation through check dams and also wind power generation,” the official said.
The Seshachalam hill ranges and forest are also known as a major source and hub of medicinal plants. The hill range spread over 5.5 lakh hectare is home to 1,450 types of herbs and medicinal plants, 11 of them are unique to this location only and not found anywhere in the world.
The Tirumala reserve is also a custodian of valuable wood like red sanders and sandalwood. The TTD also promoted a sandal wood plantation, for use in the temple of Lord Venkateswara. The massive ghat roads built in 1944 and 1973 reveal that rock formations in the seven hills are as old as 2,500 million years. “The red and white granite formations are both picturesque and carry the legacy of millions of years,” says Mr S.V. Sivaram Prasad, assistant conservator of forests, Seshachalam Biodiversity Reserve.
Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/nellore/tirumala-hills-fountainhead-biodiversity-479
The Unesco has declared the 4,756 sq. km of the Seshachalam hill ranges spread over Kadapa, Kurnool and Chittoor districts as the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve and also promoted a biosphere lab at Tirupati, attached to the AP Forest Department with monitoring by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The core zone of 750 km of uninhabited region is home to 38 species of mammals, wild animals and 178 varieties of birds, twelve amphibians, 27 species of lizards and three snake groups. The golden lizard (gekko) is a specialty of the Seshachalam hills. Zoologists and researchers have identified civet cats, slender loris, 63 varieties of green and colourful parrots.
The oncoming CoP-11 global bio-diversity conference will also address the burning issues of the Seshachalam Biodiversity Reserve, according to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive officer L.V. Subrahmanyam.
“The TTD is committed to environmental protection and hence we have initiated steps like a ban on plastics, fostering of tree plantations, water conservation through check dams and also wind power generation,” the official said.
The Seshachalam hill ranges and forest are also known as a major source and hub of medicinal plants. The hill range spread over 5.5 lakh hectare is home to 1,450 types of herbs and medicinal plants, 11 of them are unique to this location only and not found anywhere in the world.
The Tirumala reserve is also a custodian of valuable wood like red sanders and sandalwood. The TTD also promoted a sandal wood plantation, for use in the temple of Lord Venkateswara. The massive ghat roads built in 1944 and 1973 reveal that rock formations in the seven hills are as old as 2,500 million years. “The red and white granite formations are both picturesque and carry the legacy of millions of years,” says Mr S.V. Sivaram Prasad, assistant conservator of forests, Seshachalam Biodiversity Reserve.
Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/nellore/tirumala-hills-fountainhead-biodiversity-479
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