SHILLONG, Jan 21: The Zoological Survey of India or ZSI has stressed on documentation of the faunal diversity and preparation of health cards for the living root bridges (Jingkieng Jri) of Meghalaya to enable them to be eligible for the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag.
Director of ZSI, Dr Dhriti Banerjee, has laid thrust on these two aspects for meeting criteria IX and X of the UNESCO World Heritage criteria.
Criteria IX states that the sites should be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals.
Criteria X states that the sites should contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
The living root bridges of Meghalaya highlight the socio-cultural links between people and nature. In December, the Meghalaya government had organised a preparatory field visit of ZSI scientists to assess the community and science-based conservation, research and development of Jingkieng Jri.
At that convention, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma had sought the UNESCO World heritage tag for the living root bridges that support a plethora of flora and fauna including birds, animals, lichen, mushrooms, flowers and trees, besides serving their primary purpose of allowing the population to cross over them for their living.
“We have been extensively working towards natural resource management where we are focusing on creation of livelihood out of the natural resources that we possess. So, we use them in a sustained manner and yet, create a parallel economy with more inclusive forms of livelihood, while keeping the ecology at the forefront,” the CM had said.
The process of making these bridges is an age-old craft, a living tradition among the locals. It is crucial to archive this wisdom of not only making, but more so, conserving the bridges and the related ecosystem, he said.
Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Prof K Vijay Raghavan had said that the living root bridges, which highlight the socio-cultural, social and botanical links among people and nature, deserve the World Heritage Site tag due to the rich micro as well as the macro world associated with the Jingkieng Jri.
A ZSI team paid a visit to East Khasi Hills between December 14 and 20 to assess the faunal diversity in the Jingkieng Jri sites. Dr Banerjee planned the survey while Scientist, North Eastern Regional Centre, ZSI Dr Bikramjit Sinha, served as the field coordinator.
The team further comprised of Scientist, Desert Regional Centre Dr Rifat Raina, Scientist, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Dr Anil Kumar Dubey, Scientist, HQ, Kolkata, Dr Devi Shankar Suman, Scientist, HQ, Kolkata, Dr Manpreet Singh Pandhar, Scientist, High Altitude Regional Centre, Solan Dr T Kubendran, Scientist, Gangetic Plains Regional Centre, Patna, Dr Rahul Joshi, Scientist Dr. Uttam Saikia, and Dr. Dhimas from the North Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong, the ZSI said in a statement.
The team documented 83 faunal species (six mammals, five aquatics and 72 terrestrials) from the 11 living root bridge sites at Wah Sohot, Umlyngoh, Kutsiej, Iap Paka, Tyrpa Mawloh, Jri Lyntang, Mawsiang Oyrdi, Wah Mynrieng Rit, Wah Salang, Wah Rithang and Nohwet.
The six species of mammals were reported during the survey for the first time from two bridges. A fruit bat Macroglossus sobrinus K Andersen was found with seeds in spit and seemed to be a potential seed disperser, which needed further investigation, the ZSI said.
The team assessed the entomofaunal diversity which included two aquatic and six terrestrial species within the radius of 200 metres of the living root bridges assessed.
Ades albopictus, a vector of viral diseases was identified and stone holes in the streams were found to contain mosquito larvae. Among pollinators, a bumble bee, Bombus Haemorrhoidalis Smith and five Aphis bees were observed in the surroundings of Ficus trees. The sap-sucking insects included two Ficus feeding whiteflies from the living root bridge and one Phyrochoridae.
The living root bridge site at Nohwet, which is a popular tourist destination, was observed having more diversity of butterflies, dragonflies and aquatic insects than other sites.
No infestation of Isoptera (termites) was observed in any of the root bridges. Spider webs were visible on tree trunks. The survey revealed the presence of five species (35 examples) of Ephemeroptera belonging to three genera in three families.
“The expedition to the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya helped to explore the faunal diversity for providing supporting data towards the recognition of these bridges as UNESCO World Heritage site by strengthening the proposal with inputs of biodiversity and ecosystem services of these biological bridges,” the ZSI statement said.