Bengaluru: Stretches along the Aghanashini River in Uttara Kannada, famed for the unique ‘appemidi’ mango, are facing mounting pressure from land-use changes, monoculture plantations and climate variability. Environmentalists and local communities warn that these threats could erode not just the fragile riverine ecosystem but also the cultural legacy linked to this indigenous mango variety.A proposal has now been put forward to declare the ‘appemidi’ mango diversity region along the Aghanashini as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) under the Biological Diversity Act.Appemidi, a popular table mango used largely for pickles, is native to the Western Ghats. Studies have identified 33 unique accessions from this region that are conserved in gene banks, underscoring their value for breeding programmes and climate-resilience research. Local communities, drawing on generations of traditional knowledge and culinary practices, have documented over 100 distinct types of ‘appemidi’.Ananth Hegde Ashisara, former chairperson of the Western Ghats Conservation Taskforce and State Biodiversity Board, said a recent study recorded more than 1,000 ‘appemidi’ trees along a 10-km stretch of the river. “These are all natural trees and were not planted by anyone. Each tree has a distinct flavour and uniqueness,” he said, adding that varieties include Ananta Bhattana Appe, Jeerige Midi, Kanchappe and Gilisundi.Urgent need to conserve existing trees: AshisaraHighlighting the urgency, he said the number of trees is likely to decline due to encroachment, riverbank conversion for agriculture and tourism, and natural factors such as ageing trees. “The varieties here are unique and cannot be compared with other mangoes. They do not grow well outside this region. There is an urgent need to protect this genetic diversity. Declaring the stretch a BHS will help conserve existing trees and drive long-term conservation efforts into the future.“
