Residents seek BHS status for Agaramthen sacred grove
Residents and conservationists are petitioning to designate the Agaramthen sacred grove near Chennai as a Biodiversity Heritage Site to protect it from urban encroachment. A recent survey highlighted the area's ecological importance, documenting over 200 species of plants and animals.
Why it matters
The initiative highlights the growing conflict between rapid urban development and the preservation of small, culturally significant biodiversity hotspots in India.
Residents and conservationists have sought protection for the four-acre Agaramthen Sacred Grove near Agaramthen Wetland by declaring it a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS), citing its rich biodiversity and growing threats from urbanisation.
Located about eight km southeast of Tambaram Junction, the sacred grove is one of the few surviving sacred groves in the Greater Chennai region. Revered as the abode of Kanni Amman, the grove also supports local communities, including the nearby Irula settlement.
A recent biodiversity survey recorded 222 species in the grove, including 102 plant species, 60 birds, 23 reptiles and amphibians, seven mammals, and 30 butterfly species.
The study was conducted independently by conservationists Thirumurugan Vedagiri, a resident of Agaramthen, along with Patrisha, Krishnaveni and Karthy, under the guidance of G. Gnanasekaran, assistant professor, Department of Botany, Madras Christian College and Nehru Prabakaran of the Wildlife Institute of India.
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