Hyderabad: ICRISAT heaven for flora, fauna

Hyderabad, Feb 16: The prestigious International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics(ICRISAT) has turned a safe heaven for flora and fauna.

Thanks to systematic planning and hard work, the 3,500 acre ICRISAT in Patancheru on the city outskirts is now a thriving haven for at least 500 species of plants, 20 species of fungi, 50 species of butterflies, 15 species of dragonflies and numerous other insects, 10 species of fish, 20 species of reptiles, 250 species of birds and 10 mammal species, including a few vagrants.

''While in our Genebank, we created a home for the 1,15,000 germplasm accessions of our mandate crops, over the years, our campus has also shaped into an informal wildlife sanctury, with a wide range of flora and fauna'', said ICRISAT Director General William Dar.

Parts of the campus, such as natural bodies, remain untouched, providing safe nook from Siberia and Europe. Rare birds and animals have been sighted in the campus.

ICRISAT in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature released a handbook on the diversity of plant life and animal life in the campus titled Wildlife and Biodiversity@ICRISAT on February 14, according to an ICRISAT release.

UNI