AHMEDABAD:
The proposal for the World Heritage Site status for Gir and Girnar
could make it the county's first to be on both cultural and nature site
lists. The site houses the Asiatic Lion and also has several places like
Girnar, Uparkot, Junagadh Caves and Ashok-era edicts.
The area
has large number of ancient monuments including the Adi-Kadi Vav and
Navghan Kuwo, Buddhist Caves and Ashok edicts and is the only place to
have Asiatic lions. Girnar hills also have a sun temple.
The
proposal for Gir and Girnar is ready and the final touches are being
given before it's forwarded. This would probably be the first proposal
from the country in the mixed category. Girnar hills are both nature and
pilgrimage sites that have several cultural heritage along with several
natural wonders such as vulture breeding grounds. The adjoining Gir
forest is a national park and wildlife sanctuary.
The forest
department is all set to submit the proposals for inclusion of the Great
and Little Rann of Kutch (GRK and LRK) and Gir and Girnar in Unesco's
World Heritage Sites list.
Both the proposals would have to be
first cleared by the state's wildlife warden because they are protected
areas under India's forest laws and then sent to the Union ministry of
forest and environment, which will be then forward them to Unesco, the
body that recognizes the site as such.
For the GRK and LRK the
proposal will be sent in the natural heritage category of UNESCO's World
Heritage Sites. The GRK and LRK were already made it to the tentative
list in 2010, however, last year the UNESCO body had sought some
clarification from the Gujarat government and had asked to send the
proposal afresh. The work was handed over to Gujarat Ecological
Education and Research Foundation.
The department has formed a
working group of six Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, headed by the
state wildlife warden. The IFS officials were asked to prepare the new
proposal, bringing in Dholavira and the wild ass found in these area.
The Rann, considered the world's largest seasonal salty lagoon, is to
be clubbed with the Little Rann of Kutch under the "natural heritage"
criteria.
Meanwhile, the Historic city of Ahmedabad, Dholavira
in Kutch, Patan's Rani ki Vav stepwell and the wild ass sanctuary in the
Little Rann of Kutch are on the list of tentative heritage sites. The
Vav is all set to be declared as the World Heritage site in June.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Asiatic-lions-abode-set-for-Unesco-leap/articleshow/35691795.cms
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