Seventeen years after India proposed granting Unesco World Heritage status to the Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong, the United Nations cultural body has sought a fresh, evidence-based dossier explaining why the park deserves inscription on the prestigious world heritage list.
The proposal was first submitted in 2009, and to date it features in the tentative list of world heritage sites prepared by Unesco, along with many other sites in the country.
“Unesco has asked India to submit a stronger, evidence-based nomination with updated scientific data, photographs and documentation. We have been asked to send the details through the Centre. We believe it is an important development and hope that Neora Valley finally gets the world heritage status,” said Bhaskar JV, the chief conservator of forests (north)
Bhaskar said Neora Valley has remained largely untouched by mass tourism over the past 17 years.
Fresh evidence, including photographic records, of tigers and other rare wildlife has further strengthened the park’s conservation value.
The updated dossier is expected to be submitted to Unesco soon, potentially reviving Neora Valley’s long-pending bid for recognition as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong district is regarded as West Bengal’s only remaining virgin forest. The park lies at the tri-junction of West Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan, making it one of the eastern Himalayas’ most ecologically significant landscapes.
Neora Valley was declared a national park in 1992. Initially covering 88 square kilometres, the protected area was expanded by an additional 80 square kilometres in 2013.
Sources in the state forest department said nearly 80 per cent of Neora Valley remains scientifically unexplored. The surveys conducted so far have revealed extraordinary biodiversity, including 33 species of mammals, 308 species of birds, 276 species of insects, 38 species of invertebrates and numerous rare orchids, flowering plants, medicinal herbs and fruit-bearing plant species.
“The renewed attention from Unesco is encouraging. We hope the state forest department would make a strong case for the park’s inclusion on the world heritage list,” said Shyamaprasad Pandey, a wildlife expert based in Jalpaiguri district.
Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of Gorumara wildlife division, said the world heritage status would help them in the conservation of the park.
“The status would improve access to conservation funding, enable more scientific research, biodiversity surveys and habitat protection works,” said Sen.