Book throws light on rich flora of Koraput

BERHAMPUR: Thanks to a decade-long efforts by a group of three botanists, the unique rich and diverse vegetation of undivided Koraput district of south Orissa could be documented for the first time. These botanists are M.K. Mishra of Botany Department of Berhampur University and two former research scholars of the department -- P.K. Das and S.S. Das. These researchers have compiled their ten-year-long taxonomic research in the book ‘Phytodiversity and useful plants of Eastern Ghats of Orissa with special reference to Koraput region’. The book was released at a function organised on the university campus by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Bijay Kumar Sahu. He described the book as a milestone in the documentation of flora of country. Prof. Mishra described the importance of undivided Koraput region of Orissa in the natural heritage of India.
This region is the convergence point of northern temperate vegetation with southern Deccan flora. As a result, it has an ample array of rich and diverse flora. Botanists believe that there are several plants which have originated in this region thousands of years ago. Father of green revolution in India, M.S. Swaminathan, has in the past has described Koraput as one of the regions where rice may have originated. “Nature still exists in its virgin form in this tribal region as the ethnic tribes continue to protect the flora and fauna around them,” Prof. Mishra said.
Koraput region of Orissa encompasses an area of 26,920 sq km, which is now divided into four tribal dominated districts. Most areas and vegetation of the region has remained unexplored till now. Prof. Mishra and his associates reached out to several inaccessible areas to collect the samples for their research. Their book describes about 582 plants of 324 genera and 100 families which are found in the region.They have also located around a dozen of extremely rare plants.
Call to people
The botanists called upon the people of Orissa to protect this rich flora of Koraput region, which the tribals have protected till date because of their traditional beliefs.
Courtesy: The Hindu