State Biodiversity Board comes up with book on biodiversity of Rabindra Sarobar
Kolkata: The West Bengal Biodiversity Board has come up with a book on the rich biodiversity profile of Rabindra Sarobar that serves as a suitable habitat for varied faunal components that include the diversity of amphibians, fishes, reptiles, waterfowls and migratory birds, mammals, butterflies and other insect fauna. The Board has proposed the Sarobar as a ‘heritage biodiversity site’.
The second largest waterbody in the city provides habitats for a dozen species of mammals (under 8 families), 11 species of reptiles (under 6 families) and 5 species of amphibians (under 3 families). The avian diversity is represented by 107 species (under 46 families) with 69 being non-migratory or resident species, 23 long distance migrants, 14 local migrants and 1 summer visitor. The faunal diversity, both aquatic and terrestrial, is very rich with a wide array of taxonomic groups. It includes four species of hemipterans (bugs) from 4 families, one species of beetle from one family, 12 species of Chalcids from 2 families and 3 Psocopteran species from 2 families.
Ants are represented by 29 species across 6 sub-families within a single family. The butterfly fauna consists of 57 species spanning 13 sub families in 5 families. Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are represented by 13 species across 2 families under 2 sub orders. Additionally the Molluscan fauna includes 20 species from 9 families and the freshwater fish population comprises 40 species from 18 families.
The aquatic and semi aquatic plants of Rabindra Sarobar are represented by 35 species under 31 genera and 25 families. The terrestrial flora of the lake consists of 393 species of angiosperms, 3 species of gymnosperms and 2
species of pteridophytes. During the tree census, 7900 individuals of trees were observed in Rabindra Sarobar premises and 50 species of macrofungi have been recorded.
Rabindra Sarobar was declared a National Lake on December 3, 2001 under the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP). It is now under the care and custody of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.
