Hills, rich in flora and fauna

Green warrior: Fighting for the hills.

             Sneha is passionate about the environment. And as a crusader for the cause, she made a presentation on the hill ranges in Andhra Pradesh.

For T. Sneha, a student of Std. IX, Sudhaha Little Citizens High School, Tirupati, biodiversity is close to her heart. She participated in the XI Conference of Parties to the Conservation of Biological Diversity, conducted in Hyderabad, under the auspices of the National Biodiversity Authority of India. She helped prepare recommendations on “Aichi targets for biodiversity conservation”. Aichi targets are the 20 Points agreed upon by signatories to the Xth convention held at Nagoya, Japan, in 2010.

Sneha, a member of National Green Corps’ (NGC) Eco-club, participated in the sub-event “Young India for biodiversity”. She was the only representative from the Rayalaseema region. She presented an overview of the Seshachalam hill ranges spread over Chittoor and Kadapa districts, which are rich in biodiversity.

Be a friend

Her presentation lasted four minutes and she spoke about the rare endemic species of fauna like golden gecko (golden lizard), civet cat, Jerdon’s Courser, Yellow-browed bulbul, Indian fox, Malabar giant squirrel, Banded peacock (butterfly), slender loris (a cat-like nocturnal animal) and flora — Cycas beddomei and Red Sanders.

The presentation highlighted the need for humans to make a difference and protect the environment.

“After the meet, we students decided to document our ‘backyard biodiversity’ i.e., the plants, creepers, insects, worms, animals, streams we see in our neighbourhood, ” said Sneha.

Strongly believing that children can make a difference, Sneha urges her peers to motivate their parents to quit practices perceived to be eco-unfriendly. She says we can make a start by ensuring segregation of waste and curb practices that could lead to the extinction of birds and animals in our neighbourhood.

Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve

This is the first biosphere reserve in Andhra Pradesh. It was notified on September 20, 2010. The total area of the Ministry of Environment and Forests-designated reserve is 4756 sq.km, which include parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts in the Deccan peninsula. The area is divided into three — the core zone (kept free of human activity), buffer zone (where activity will have to conform to MoEF guidelines) and transition zone (comprising settlements, croplands and managed forests). Interestingly, the Tirumala hills known to be the abode of lord Venkateswara, also falls in this Reserve.

The biosphere is expected to be a part of the UNESCO network. This would facilitate exchange of information and infusion of funds through the Man And Biosphere (MAB) programme.