Through the Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site, an additional gem was added to the list of conservation. The total area of 193.215 acres of land over two villages, Arittapatti as well as Meenakshipuram, located in Madurai within Tamil Nadu, was notified as Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Park under the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
This is the latest addition to the list. With this new addition, India has 19 heritage sites of biodiversity.
What is it that makes Arittapatti village so important?
There are a variety of attractions within Arittapatti Village, but the most famous geographic landmark is the seven barren granite hillocks. The rocky landscape is surprisingly home to 72 lakes, as well as 200 natural springs and three check dams. One of the lakes, Anaikondan Lake, dates to the sixteenth-century Pandya kingdom.
Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site is Tamil Nadu’s very first biodiversity heritage site. Photograph by Mrs. Sarah Welch, Creative Commons Attribution Licence
Alongside these hillocks made of granite, Arittapatti Village is also home to numerous megalithic structures, rock-cut shrines 2200 years old and Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in numerous places, and a large species of avifauna and fauna.
The region is home to around 250 bird species, comprising the three most famous raptors: the Laggar falcon, the shaheen falcon, and the Bonelli’s Eagle. It also has endangered species of animals like the slender loris Indian pangolin and python.
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What are Biodiversity heritage sites?
Biodiversity Heritage areas are unique zones with ecologically fragile ecosystems that include endangered and rare species. These types of sites typically house important species that are not just endangered or endemic but may also be keystone species or flagship species, as well as umbrella species.
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