Context:

Recently, the Guneri village (Tehsil Lakhpat) of Kutch district, which is a natural inland mangrove site has been declared as the first Biodiversity Heritage Site of Gujarat.

About the Site:

• The Gujarat Biodiversity Board has notified a 32.78-hectare “Inland Mangrove of Guneri” area in Lakhpat taluka, Kutch district, as the state’s first Biodiversity heritage site (BHS) of Gujarat.
• It is located at a distance of only 1.75 Km, 4 Km and 45 km from Great Rann of Kutch, Kori Creek and Arabian Sea respectively.
• This is also known as Guneri inland mangrove site, it has 20 migratory and 25 resident migratory avifaunal species.
• The mangrove species found here is “Avicennia marina”.
• Gujarat Biodiversity Board notified BHS under section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and rule of Gujarat Biological Diversity Rules 2010, Government of Gujarat. 

Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS)

BHS are well-defined areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems - terrestrial, coastal and inland waters and, marine having rich biodiversity comprising of 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.
• Past pre-eminence of biological components represented by fossil beds
• Areas with significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic values important for the maintenance of cultural diversity.
• Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas. 

Identification and Declaration of BHS: State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) may invite suggestions (or consider those already coming from communities) for the declaration of BHSs.

• Through the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) and other relevant community institutions, including gram sabhas, panchayats, urban wards, forest protection committees, and tribal councils. 

Budget: Once the BHS is notified by the State Government, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) may support the initial establishment of the BHS financially by allocating adequate funding support as seed money through SBB. 

• Simultaneously, the financial requirement of BHS may be included in the annual budget of the local body(ies).

Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) in India

• According to the National Biodiversity Authority, India has a total of 48 BHS (including this one) as of January 2025.
• Nallur Tamarind Grove in Bengaluru, Karnataka was declared the first Biodiversity Heritage Site of India in 2007.
• West Bengal (10) has the largest number of BHS in India.

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): 

• It was established in 2003 by the Central Government to implement India’s Biological Diversity Act (2002). 
• The NBA is a Statutory body that performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of Conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair equitable sharing of benefits of use.
• The NBA with its Headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• NBA advises the State Government in the selection of areas of biodiversity importance to be notified under Sub-Section (1) of Section 37 as heritage sites and measures for the management of such heritage sites.