Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers | 31 May 2024

Why in News?

The Valley of Flowers trek in Uttarakhand will open on 1st June 2024. It is located within Uttarakhand's Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site since 2005.

Key Points

  • The Valley of Flowers National Park awaits trekkers with over 300 flower species indigenous to the Himalayas, accessible during the monsoon season from June to November.
    • The early signs of spring with blooming potentilla, wild rose, and primrose mark the beginning of the season as the snow starts to melt.
  • It includes a wide variety of floral species, surpassing 300 types, like anemones, geraniums, blue poppies, and bluebells.
  • It is home to rare animal species such as the grey langur, flying squirrel, Himalayan weasel, black bear, red fox, lime butterfly, snow leopard, and Himalayan monal.

Biosphere Reserve

  • Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
  • Biosphere Reserves tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
  • Biosphere Reserves are thus special environments for both people and nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each other’s needs.