Chamoli: With the onset of winter and snowfall, the Valley of Flowers, located on the other side of the Pushpavati river in the Himalayan Bhudar valley of Chamoli district, has been closed for tourists from Thursday
Known for its rich biodiversity, the Valley of Flowers witnesses a huge footfall of nature lovers every year and this in turn helps in generating a good revenue for the administration.
This year, nearly 19,436 tourists, including 330 foreigners visited the Valley of Flowers, leading to earnings of Rs 39,39,250. In order to protect the rare species of wildlife and forest resources here, five trap cameras have been installed at important locations for monitoring.
The Valley of Flowers remains open from June 1 to October 31. It was closed for visitors at around 12 pm on Thursday in view of the winter.
Forest Divisional Officer Chetna Kandpal said there has been a huge footfall of nature lovers this year following which, a good revenue was earned by the department. During the period when the Valley of Flowers is closed, a reiki team of the administration will visit the valley from time to time, Kandpal added.
Spread across an area of 87.5 square kilometre at an altitude of 12,500 feet, the Valley of Flowers is a destination of flora and fauna, herbs, butterflies and wild animals, including Guldar, Snow Leopard, Monal, Musk Deer and Black Beer. The site was declared UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2005.
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