About Kasampatty Sacred Grove:
- The Kasampatti Sacred Grove, also known as Veera Kovil Sacred Grove, is a revered ecological and cultural site located in Kasampatti village, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu.
- Spanning 4.97 hectares near the Alagarmalai Reserve Forest, this grove is enveloped by lush mango plantations, enhancing its natural beauty and fertility.
- It hosts an impressive variety of species - 48 plant species, 22 shrubs, 21 lianas (woody vines), and 29 herbs.
- It also shelters more than 12 species of birds, along with small mammals, reptiles, and numerous insects, highlighting the grove’s genetic richness.
- The Tamil Nadu government has notified Kasampatti Sacred Grove as the state's second Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
What are Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS)?
- BHS are unique ecosystems having rich biodiversity comprising any one or more of the following components:
- Richness of wild as well as domesticated species or intra-specific categories.
- High endemism.
- Presence of rare and threatened species, keystone species, and species of evolutionary significance.
- Wild ancestors of domestic/cultivated species or their varieties.
- Past preeminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and having significant cultural, ethical, or aesthetic values and are important for the maintenance of cultural diversity, with or without a long history of human association with them.
- Under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the State Government, in consultation with local bodies, may notify areas of biodiversity importance as BHS.
- The State Government, in consultation with the Central Government, may frame rules for the management and conservation of BHS.
- The creation of BHS may not put any restriction on the prevailing practices and usages of the local communities other than those voluntarily decided by them.
- The purpose of declaring BHS is to enhance the quality of life of the local communities through the conservation of such sites.
- In 2007, the Nallur Tamarind Grove in Bengaluru, Karnataka, was designated as India's first BHS.
