Indian Hotspot Series I : MANIPUR

Nestled on a plateau and surrounded by nine sub-Himalayan ranges of hills, Manipur is the place that gifted the game of Polo to the world. Literally meaning “the jeweled land”, Manipur is richly endowed with natural beauty and splendor. Home to Sangai (a rare species of brow-antlered deer) and the Siroi Lily (the only terrestrial lily grown on the hill tops of Siroi hill), Ethel St. Clair Grimwood described Manipur as “A Pretty Place more beautiful than many show places of the world.”


Manipur - A video by Soubam Priyananda.

Flora & Fauna
Sixty-seven per cent of the total geographical area of Manipur is hills covered by different types of forests. It is thus blessed with amazing varieties of fauna and flora. Some of the most beautiful and precious blooms of India find their natural habitat in Manipur. The beauty and color of flowers and orchids stun the eyes of the beholder. Wet forests, temperate forests and pine forests occur in different regions of the state. Together, they sustain a host of rare plant and animal species that have earned Manipur a position in the TOP 10 BIO-DIVERSITY HOT SPOTS in the world.

Located on the northeastern side of India bordering Myanmar, Manipur has a topography ranging over a few meters above MSL to over 3000 meters above MSL. This topography spread over a mere 22,000 square kilometers gives Manipur a range of various climatic conditions, ranging from tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates all the way to sub-alpine. Because of this range of topography, Manipur is home to over 500 varieties of orchids alone, 472 of which have been identified. The Siroi lily is the only terrestrial lily on Siroi hill in the Ukhrul district of Manipur.

Keibul Lamjao National Park:
The park is the only floating park in the world. Locate on the fringes of Loktak Lake, some 53 kilometers away from Imphal, it is the last natural habitat of the marsh dwelling brow-antlered deer of Manipur - Sangai.

Loktak Lake:
Loktak lake is considered to be the lifeline of the State of Manipur due to its importance in the socio-economic and cultural life of the people. It is the largest natural freshwater lake in the north - eastern region of India and plays an important role in the ecological and economic security of the region.




Biodiversity Values

Flora
The Loktak lake with its numerous floating lands covers a variety of habitats which sustains rich biological diversity. The aquatic macrophytes comprising 233 species belonging to emergent, submergent, free - floating and rooted floating leaf types have been reported in the lake.

Fauna
A total of 425 species of animals (249 vertebrates and 176 invertebrates) have been recorded from the lake, which includes some rare animals such as Indian python, sambhar and barking deer. The lake provides refuge to thousands of birds which belong to at least 116 species. Of these, 21 species of waterfowl are migratory, most migrating from different parts of the northern hemisphere beyond the Himalayas. Keibul Lamjao National Park is the natural habitat of one of the most endangered deer, the brow - antlered deer (Cervus eldi eldi) which is represented by about hundred individuals and was once thought to be extinct.


- Kh. Jibankumar Singh

* Soubam Priyananda was classmate of Jibankumar during School days.

Biodiversity Hotspots

In our country, we have three main biodiversity hotspots - Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma Hotspot (Figure). On what basis these biodiversity rich areas are declared as Biodiversity Hotspots?
What are the present threats to these hotspots?