DEHRADUN: A team of experts on a week-long biodiversity tour of the Gangotri landscape spotted 107 bird, 45 butterfly species and several moths and wildflowers in the region. The second biodiversity-linked community ecotourism tour was organised in the Gangotri landscape from June 19-25, to showcase the potential of nature-linked ecotourism.
A six-member team from Bengaluru, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Jaipur, Delhi and Hong Kong visited the Gangotri landscape to watch birds, butterflies, moths and wildflowers.
Large Green Underwing
The visitors were accompanied by a team of experts from Titli Trust, as part of a biodiversity assessment being done for the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board. The visitors were lodged at homestays in Barsu, Sukhi Top and Cholmi (near Harsil). The tour was supported by Madhvendhra Rawat of the eco development committee and biodiversity management committee, Harsil.
Local community guides also participated in the assessment. Among those spotted, there were 45 species of butterflies with rare ones such as Large Green Underwing, Brown-bordered Admiral and Indian Whiteline Hairstreak, on all of which there are only a handful of published records in India.
Indian Blue Robin
The project, which started in April 2021, had already documented 190 bird species, 70 butterfly species and 200 moth species, along with mammals, amphibians, reptiles and wildflowers. The project, involving biodiversity assessment and capacity building of biodiversity management committees in Gangotri landscape, Uttarkashi, is supported by the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, under the SECURE Himalaya project of UNDP/GEF and is being conducted by Titli Trust, Dehradun.
“It is hoped that these findings will encourage biodiversity-linked ecotourism in the Gangotri landscape, where currently apple-growing, religious tourism and trekking are the main sources of income,” said the forest officials overseeing the project.
