Urban biodiversity parks a must in city planning

Experts are advocating treating biodiversity parks as essential green infrastructure in city planning, aligning with global and national environmental commitments, according to a Mongabay-India (MI) report.

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Initiatives such as converting mining pits into orchid and butterfly conservatories showcase successful habitat restoration, supporting native flora and fauna, including endangered species.

The MI report cites the example of India's capital city, Delhi that hosts seven biodiversity parks, which were restored from degraded lands to serve as urban forests, providing ecological benefits. Urban biodiversity parks are nature reserves that harbour hundreds of native plants, animals, and microbial species living in sustainable biological communities, rendering ecological services to the metropolis.

Together, these parks, the report points out, span 820 hectares and include Aravalli Biodiversity Park (280 ha), Yamuna Biodiversity Park (185 ha), Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park (3.88 ha), Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park (70 ha), Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park (81 ha), Northern Ridge Biodiversity Park (87 ha) and South Delhi Biodiversity Park (113.3 ha).