Guwahati: Next time if you are going for picnicking at the Thangkharang Park in Cherrapunji, look around for a new plant which was only known to exist in northern Thailand and Myanmar.
But the bad news is that the plant species- Microchirita karaketii, may be threatened due to tourism and other development activities.
The plant species was found by Rhuthuparna S.B. and V. Gowda of the Tropical Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, during a survey.
The genus Microchirita consists of annual herbs that are found exclusively in limestone habitats. Microchirita consist of 48 species distributed in India and Southeast Asia, and its highest species richness is noted in Thailand (37 species and 4 varieties). In India, to-date the genus is reported to have five species, M. sahyadriensis, M. hamosa, M. albiflora , M. cristata and M. bimaculata.
The species Microchirita karaketii belongs to the family of African Violets and was originally described from Thailand. So far the species is known to occur only in northern Thailand and southern Myanmar. The authors have reported on a new geographical record of this species in Meghalaya. Including the current record, the species is only known from eight locations, which includes six locations from Thailand and one each from Myanmar and India. The species is habitat-specific and is found on moist, moss-covered rocks in tropical evergreen forests. Due to habitat specificity, habitat degradation, and small area of occupancy, the species is proposed to be considered Vulnerable according to IUCN guidelines.
According to the study, in India, the species is known only to a location near the Kynrem Falls, Meghalaya. Microchirita karaketii and many other species from the African Violet family are known to grow on the wet rocky surfaces present on the roadsides and often face threat due to road construction, widening, and clearing vegetation.
“It is important to recognise the presence of these species and their distribution inside and outside the protected areas of India to conserve the quality of the habitat occupied by them, and therefore the species and different pollinators dependent on them,” the authors said.
The researchers during their recent surveys in Meghalaya observed a population of Microchirita species that showed morphological affinities with M. karaketii, M. sahyadriensis, and M. bimaculata. Upon careful examination of protologues and digital images of type specimens of the three morphologically similar species, they identified it as M. karaketii.
Approximately 300 mature individuals of Microchirita karaketii were found growing on moss-covered rocks spread across an almost 250 metre long continuous transect Habitat & floral ecology. It is found on moist, moss-covered rocks in tropical evergreen forests.
Lying next to the Khoh Ramhah rock, it is one of the best places to visit in Cherrapunji.
Sprawling over 100 acres, Thangkharang Park houses various species of plants and trees. With a calm ambience and scenic locales, the park acts as a great resting place and a lovely picnic spot for the people of all ages. Maintained by the State Forest Department, the park has a green house, a beautiful little fountain and two viewpoints strategically built on two of the three rocks that impart a good view of Khoh Ramhah or the pillar rocks and the valley below. There is also a small bridge that helps people cross over to the other section of the park when the stream below overflows with water.
Apart from being a lovely spot for picnics, Thangkharang Park gained its maximum popularity for being a perfect panoramic viewpoint for the nearby Bangladesh plains, and also the Kynrem Falls which falls down in three steps in the hills
THREATS: The authors, in their study, discussed that the area remains under a constant threat of disturbance due to tourism and other development activities.
Furthermore, the authors surveyed multiple other potential locations in Northeast India (except Tripura) and could not locate any other population. In India, the species should be considered to be Critically Endangered.
WAY OUT: The authors recommended both in situ and ex situ preservation and that the in situ preservation should go hand in hand with extensive studies on its reproductive biology, recruitment, seedling survivability and vegetative propagation methods.
They have recommended that the plant be grown in a conservatory within the state so that habitat requirements are taken care of since most plants from the NE are endemic and propagation and display of local flora should be locally encouraged.
“Since in less than 10 years we have re discovered as well as described more than 10 species that are new to science it is imperative that the state forestries invest in a joint conservatory and botanical garden dedicated to the preservation and propagation of their local flora where botanists from across the country who have worked in the NE are part of the research advisory, such that it’s a collective effort to preserve and conserve the NE,” Dr Vinita Gowda told EastMojo.
Rhuthuparna also said that if the widening of roads are solely for the purpose of tourism and not just development of the local landscape, and if the clearing and building of more infrastructure is due to more influx of tourists then it is going to be detrimental to the region. “The recent social media popularity of the northeast is building a tourism wave that needs to be carefully managed for the region so that it does not negatively impact the fragile and unique biodiversity of many regions within the NE of India,” she said.
Dr. Gowda further added, “We now have many examples from other regions such as Himachal and hill stations in the South where tourism is not a sustainable industry and causes more harm to local biota than the immediate monetary gains, especially to the locals”.
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Gowda further added that this is true for many regions which proposed eco tourism as a sustainable tourism approach but that has miserably failed across the globe.
“What we need is immediate awareness of local biota to the local people so that they come forward for its protection and maintenance and support is sought from diverse experts in the form of workshops, teaching material and scientific techniques which can all be seen as means to maintain the local biota by the local people,” she said.
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