Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve

Odisha government has proposed a second biosphere reserve in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri.

Similipal Biosphere Reserve is Odisha’s first such reserve, which was notified in 1996.
The area of the proposed Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve is spread over Gajapati and Ganjam districts in the Eastern Ghats and is near the Mahendragiri peak.

Soura Tribe:

They are a Munda ethnic group from eastern India living in southern Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
They are known by various names such as Savara, Sabara, Sora, and Soura.
The Soras speak Sora, a Munda language
They practice shifting cultivation, with a few gradually taking up settled agriculture.

Biosphere Reserves

Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by UNESCO for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over a large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems.
BRs are designated to deal with the quest for economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values.
BRs are thus special environments for both people and nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each others’ needs.

Criteria for BR

A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation.
The core area should be typical of a bio-geographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all trophic levels in the ecosystem.
The management authority to ensure the involvement/cooperation of local communities to bring a variety of knowledge and experiences to link biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development while managing and containing the conflicts.
Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of the environment.

Source: Down to Earth

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