AP Bureau
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Bhubaneswar, 3rd Nov 2016: Bhitarkanika sanctuary of Odisha has been nominated as one among 9 natural eco-sites to be included in World Heritage site.
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A 5 member assessment Team from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) consisting of wild life scientists, environment specialists and eco-spot experts would visit Bhitarkanika on Friday and would assess the eco-site from various aspects. The issues relating to protection, conservation, bio-diversity, inclusiveness of the area, people’s participation, tourism potential, livelihood of the people, environmental quality etc would be examined by the team. The team would make recommendations to the World Union about its inclusion.
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It is to be noted that, Bhitarkanika was declared as protected forest in the year 1961. Then 672 kms of its area was declared as Wild Life sanctuary in 1975 and its core area of 145 kms was declared as National Park in 1998. The place also got international recognitions. It was declared as a Ramsar site in the year 2002. In the year 2008 Bhitarkanika was inscribed in the tentative list of World Heritage sites.
