Of the 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world the Northeast is home to some rare breeds of flora and fauna that could hardly be seen anywhere in the globe. Of late, a study revealed here, found that the northern region can boast of about sixty per cent of the butterflies found in the entire globe.
Out of the world's15,000 odd butterflies, Assam houses more than 800 of the exotic winged variety. This is perhaps, largely due to the abundance of the entire North East India. The study also revealed that Kaziranga, famous for the unicornis, alone houses about 300 of the exotic speciesThe worrying part is that there is a gradual decline due to deforestation and very less conservation activities. In the state of Assam, as over much of the Indian sub-continent, there is very little conservation activity directed towards butterflies. This decline in species, so typical of the third-world today, is an indication of the ongoing global environmental crisis, and if not checked will perhaps reach a point where downward trends can no longer be reversed.
PermalinkSubmitted by shirish ambegaonkar on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 21:55
I was in Guwahati and icould not help but notice the number and kind of buttreflies. i would be interested to know of any work and survey conducted here.
24 Feb 2008 - 6:50am | editor
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OFT, in the stilly night,Ere slumber's chain has bound me, Fond Memory brings the lightOf other days around me:The smiles, the tearsOf boyhood's years… (The Light of Other Days- Thomas Moore) As I sit down to reminisce my days in school when it completes a monumental journey of fifty years of existence—these lines come back to me bringing along a collage of pictures of different hues strewn across time. I had the privilege to have studied in a Montessori School that in course of time metamorphosed into a full fledged high school and earned the rare recognition of being the first provincialised English medium school in Assam. Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan, as the school is presently...
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The recent wave of flood in Assam left a trail of devastation affecting a total population of 33, 45,442 people and taking a toll of more than 150 lives. However, unofficial sources claim the death of more than 200 people in the recent deluge. Incessant rains since the first week of July coupled by dam-induced flood claimed 84 lives. The second bout of flood proved a disaster to the state; humans, animals including wildlife being washed away; millions of people displaced; thousands of hectares of standing crops destructed. Embankments were breached in 26 places in 15 districts. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority put the number of flood-hit people taking shelter in 923 relief...
The shrieking crescendo calls of the Koel and the flowering of ‘Kopou’ are harbingers of spring signaling the dawn of a new year in the Brahmaputra valley. The season sees the ubiquitous orchids with bright and heavy blossoms, varying in colors, bejewel the wilderness of the Northeast. ‘Kopou Phul’ is the most sought after orchid in Assam during New Year festivities in April. Assamese women adorn the pink flowers with deep pink spot as ornamentation on their head during celebration of ‘Rongali Bihu’. Found in North East as well as South India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Java and Philippines--‘Kopou Phul’ or ‘Seeta Pushpa’ in Sanskrit, Ryncostylists retusa is...
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The Northeast forms a complex geomorphology with vast flood plains, valleys, hills and ridges of varying elevations, beels (wetlands) and swamp areas with presence of large number of avifaunal diversity. The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries serve as the winter visiting ground to many migratory birds. From the marshes of Kaziranga to the forests of Eaglenest in western Arunachal and further up to the alpine areas of Arunachal -- one come across more than 750 species of birds that includes most of the winter visitors. Assam, along with the other six northeastern states, shares a common migration route for many of the avifauna that flies over Bhutan, Tibet, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh...
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