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News: The Borjuli wetland in Assam, known for harbouring a Oryza Rufipogon variety of wild rice, has been notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).
About Borjuli Wetland
- Location: The Borjuli wetland is located in Assam.
- Area: It has spread across an area of 0.41 hectares.
- Feature:
- It is known for harbouring a disease- and pest-resistant variety of wild rice known as Oryza rufipogon.
- Recently, it has been designated as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) under the ‘In-situ Conservation and Management of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon)’ Project.
- The recognition is an important step towards conserving India’s rich wild rice diversity and promoting climate-resilient agriculture.
About Oryza Rufipogon
- Oryza rufipogon is a perennial plant and a wild progenitor of cultivated rice, Oryza sativa.
- Habitat: It is commonly found in marshes and other aquatic habitats across eastern and southern Asia.
- Features:
- It is photosensitive in nature and flowers during short days in November and December.
- Its seeds have a tendency to shatter as soon as they mature.
- It is resistant to pests and diseases and can tolerate flooding and saline conditions, making it a valuable genetic resource for developing climate-resilient crop varieties.
About Biodiversity Heritage Site
- Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) refers to a unique and fragile ecosystem that can include marine ecosystems, coastal and inland waters, or terrestrial areas.
- Criteria:
- Richness of wild as well as domesticated species or intra-specific categories.
- High endemism.
- Presence of rare and threatened species, keystone species, species of evolutionary significance.
- Wild ancestors of domestic/cultivated species or their varieties.
- Past pre-eminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and having significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic values are important for the maintenance of cultural diversity with or without a long history of human association with them.
- Notified by: Under Section-37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the State Government, in consultation with local bodies, may notify areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites(BHS).
- First notified BHS: India’s first notified Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) is the Nallur Tamarind Grove in Bengaluru, Karnataka, which was declared in 2007.
- Latest site: The Borjuli wetland is located in Assam has been latest notified as BHS.
- Total numbers: India has 55 Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) as of July 3rd, 2026.
