National Biodiversity Authority grants Biodiversity Heritage Site status to Assam's Borjuli

The National Biodiversity Authority has declared the Borjuli farming location in Assam's Sonitpur district a Biodiversity Heritage Site, recognising the area for its importance in conserving India's wild rice genetic resources, the Union Ministry of Agriculture said on July 2.

According to the ministry, the site was identified under a project supported by the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) and its notification as a Biodiversity Heritage Site marks a major step towards protecting the country's wild rice diversity while supporting climate-resilient agriculture.

The recognition comes under the NRAA-funded project, In-situ Conservation and Management of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon) in Sonitpur District of Assam, which has been implemented since 2022 by the ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi, in collaboration with the Assam State Biodiversity Board.

The ministry said a team of scientists from ICAR-NBPGR recently met NRAA Chief Executive Officer Chandra Shekhar Kumar and presented the project's progress in the exploration, conservation and characterisation of wild rice germplasm. During the meeting, the scientists informed him that the Borjuli site had been notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site by the National Biodiversity Authority.

Kumar said wild rice species are "an invaluable source of genes" for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding and nutritionally superior rice varieties. He also emphasised the need to replicate similar conservation initiatives for other crop wild relatives across the country.