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INTRODUCTION:

Pic taken at Yamuna Bio-Diversity Park

Nature Education
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The Yamuna Biodiversity Park is envisaged to play an important role in imparting Nature
Education particularly to school and college students, who are the decision-makers of tomorrow.
The park with its developing ecosystems, which are in various stages of development, provides a
good opportunity to learn about prominent species of plants and animals, seed germination,
bioremediation, ecosystem redevelopment, food webs, and life history strategies.
Nature Reserve Zone
20 different biotic communities are being created in the approximately 130 acres of the nature
reserve zone. Subtropical mixed evergreen forest community, subtropical mixed semi-evergreen
forest community, tropical moist deciduous forest ecosystem with Sal as a dominant species,

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subtropical semi-evergreen forest (Terai region of Yamuna River Basin), grasslands, Acacia
woodlands to mention a few. The communities are developed by massive plantation
programmes, some have already developed canopies and have attracted animals such as the
monitor lizard, civet, jungle cat and Nilgai, which were never found before here.

The Yamuna Biodiverstity Park has become a home for biologically rich wetlands, grassland
communities, a wide variety of fruit yielding species and an abundance of medicinal herbs. It has
emerged as the capital's most visited public place and prominent center for learning and
understanding the environment, The Park also comprises a native flora and fauna which used to
exist a 100 years ago and then became extinct locally. It further, acts as a natural conservation
site for specific group of endangered plants. The park features two major zones - the visitor zone
and the nature reserve zone.

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There are two wetlands in the park which simulate natural water bodies. One of them is about 1.8
Km long and narrow while the other is open and spread over two hectares. Apart from migratory
birds, these wetlands have a rich aquatic diversity of invertebrates, turtles, fish and
phytoplanktons. There is also a butterfly park that is an extremely ideal place for all the photo
fanatics. Here is the central enclosed areas where the flowering plants are grown, which attract
the butterflies.
There are 10 mounds encircling the valley, each of which depicts the different ecosystems found
along the Yamuna River Basin, especially the lower Himalayas (Shivaliks). As a result of this,
one can observe more than two dozen varieties of forest landscapes, apart from the grasslands
that dominate a major portion of the landscape. The best time to explore this mini kingdom of
flora and fauna is from October to April.

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Map of Yamuna Diversity Park:

Map of Yamuna Bio-Diversity Park

Observations:
Here is walk through winter. A warmth that comes from Kamal Kant Koner, a photographer,

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who has captured a blurry, visual scheme that was far more enticing.

It takes a photographer to shed light on the endangered habitat of the monarch butterfly. This
delicate environment has been threatened by the increasing deforestation of the area where they
hibernate, changing the course of their migration and depleting the population, which, can
change our weather system dramatically.

The Butterfly park in Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Delhi is fluttered with glittering colours.
Bright, vibrant, soothing hues of every sort. In numerous shades, they adore the flowery bed of

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the butterfly park. All time favorite for poets, artists, photographers, children and everyone.
Apart from their beauty and aesthetic value, they help in pollination. In horticulture they are
considered pests. They have vegetation preferences and they are host specific. For example,
larvae of Lemon butterfly feeds on leaves of lemon trees.

Biodiversity parks use Bio pesticides like Neem oil, Trichogramma and Trichoderma. These
doesn't affect the insects like bees butterflies. Some parks on the other hand use artificial
fertilisers and insecticides. Although insects are adaptive and evolve resistance (get immune)
some like butterflies can't sustain and survive.

Butterflies are herbivorous, (Exception: caterpillars of Apefly are carnivorous, found in

peninsular India up to Gujarat, Uttaranchal & Arunachal Pradesh.

They can be seen any time but the ideal time is September to November and February to March.
The recent flood this year has swallowed most of the vegetation. Even the saplings of the nursery
couldn't evade the ill fate. But considering it a natural calamity there is little to say. In spite of
these, 20 species (as identified) of butterfly still flaunt their beauteous wings in the park. The
park has lost its greenery, but its glory persists.

(Yamuna Biodiversity Park is managed with Ecosystem approach by a team of scientists,

namely Dr Faiyaz A. Khudsar, Dr Ashwini Kumar Singh, Dr Ekta Khurana and Mohammad

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Faisal. The concept of Biodiversity Parks to preserve the natural heritage of the city of Delhi

was formulated and conceptualised by country's renowned ecologist Prof CR Babu. DDA is

developing and funding this park under the aegis of Delhi Biodiversity Foundation which is

chaired by Lt Governor of Delhi.)

CONSERVATION

It is now well understood that the last century has seen unprecedented loss of ecosystems that
flourished on the banks of river Yamuna, the Siwalik foothills, and the northern limits of the
Aravallis. This has occurred primarily owing to habitat conversion and urbanization. The unique
habitats in these areas harboured extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna, which are now either
lost or highly diminished. One of the major objectives of the Biodiversity Parks is to create
refugia for such biodiversity so that is can be conserved for posterity.

In a short span of four years, the dedicated team of professional and volunteers at the Park have
been able to bring back a large number of plants and animals and recreate representative
communities of plants and animals of the terrestrial and aquatic regions and ecosystems.

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Snap taken at Yamuna Bio-Diversity Park

PROMOTING AWARENESS

In a short span of four years, more than 2000 species of plant and animals have been brought
back in the form of biotic communities to the parks. But this is not enough. The exhaustive
developments in Delhi in the form of urbanization, industrialization and pollution have led to

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rapid degradation River Yamuna and Delhi ridge and in turn the ecology and environment of
Delhi. Environmental resources have almost lost their life supporting potentials and ecosystems
have lost their resilience and natural self-sustaining ameliorative capabilities. Therefore, the
urban population must be made to realize that unless immediate steps are taken to remedify the
situation and change the attitude towards the environment the human species itself is at risk.

BIRD WALK AT YAMUNA BIODIVERSITY PARK :

The Park is open to visitors. It is about 3 km from Majnu ka Tila (Gurudwara) near the ISBT,
Delhi. The Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Delhi is slated to act as a heritage site and repository of
approximately 50 threatened communities of Yamuna river basin. It will serve as an ideal
alternative habitat for migratory and resident bird species. It will also be designed to conserve the
wild genetic resources of agricultural crops and enhance ground water recharge and augment

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fresh water availability. The holistically envisaged park, with an area of 80 ha, will have a
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positive impact on the local weather patterns and conserve the micro and macro ecosystems. The
Yamuna River snakes through the capital city of New Delhi. Various dams/barrages control the
flow of water on this river and for most times of the year there is very little that reaches the Delhi
area. This results in extensive mudflats and shallow near stagnant water, ideal home for many
waders including a strong contingent (1000+) of Greater Flamingos. The banks of the Yamuna
have extensive reed-beds and agricultural land which attract reed and scrub birds and seed-eaters.
The Yamuna Floodplain Biodiversity Park at Wazirabad is spread over 157 acres of land.
Around 10 ecosystems including 2000-3000 species of flora and fauna are to be generated under
the project. According to DDA officials, since the conception of the project the number of bird
species has grown from 25 in 2002 to 150 in 2004. The park's habitat programme started in July
2002. It already has over 500 variety of fruit plant species, over 550 variety of seeds species,
over 650 variety of stratified grass, tree, shrubs and forest herbs species, about 5.8 kilometer
stretch of three-layered bamboo setups along the boundary wall -- separating the park from
locality villages all naturally growing in an artificial eco-system. In all, about 16,500 trees and
plant families -- belonging to 20 biotic groups of deciduous bamboo, sal, teak, acacia, grass,
thorn-scrub, under-water, marshy, island and riparian families, broad-leaf categories, groves,
herbs, medicinal plants and fruit variety species -- are growing. The extinct medicinal and fruit
plant species such as tylophora asthemetica, ceropegie bulbosa, gala, khirnis, white variety of
Jamun, which once abounded in the Yamuna basin forests, have been reintroduced for

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Bird snap taken in Yamuna Bio-Diversity Park

conservation. In two wetlands -- deep (10-foot) one for such bird species as ducks, cormorants,
eagles, falcons and the shallow (1 to 1.5 foot) one for waders, such as cranes -- over 1.5 lakh
fingerling fishes were introduced to build up the plants-seeds-fishes-birds food chain. The
wetlands are surrounded by long grass and aquatic underwater shrubs.

Goals of Bio-diversity Park:

The prime goal of park is conservation and preservation of ecosystems of two major landforms
of Delhi, the river Yamuna and the Aravalli Hills. They seek to conserve keystone species and
other threatened plant and other animal species, preserve the biodiversity of any habitat that is
likely to be converted into urban infrastructure, establish field gene banks for
threatenedland

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races and wild genetic resources, promote education on environmental

awareness and nature
conservation, establish native communities of the Aravalli hills and the River
Yamunabasin
particularly of the Delhi region, develop mosaic of wetlands that sustain the
rich aquatic
flora and fauna of the Yamuna and monitor short term and long term
changes in the ecology of
the Delhi region and the areas along the river bed of Yamuna in other
parts of NCT.

Thus, Biodiversity Parks act as heritage sites and repositories of the

approximately 50,
threatened communities of the Yamuna river basin and Aravalli hills, provide
ideal alternative
habitats for migratory and resident bird species, enhance ground water
recharge and augment
fresh water availability, act as sinks for CO2 and other pollutants, ameliorate
local weather
conditions and buffer ambient temperatures, promote eco-tourism and social
connectivity
across the urban community, serve as gene pools, and represent unique
ecological models
possesing not only wildlife and natural values but also aesthetic,
environmental and
educational values.

ORIGIN AND SALIENT FEATURES OF THE SITE

This park is located close to river Yamuna, Jharoda, Wazirabad

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Actually 1km away from the main stream of Yamuna but still in its Basin

It was a part of the flood plain during some 30-40 years back

DDA acquired land in 2001-2002 and planned biodiversity park in 2003

The area is low lying used to get seasonally flooded and long spell of
standing
water has turned soil more saline(pH=8.9)
For developing park two pronged strategies were adopted- physical and
biological interventions

IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE SITE

Ten mounds which illustrate different forest ecosystems found in the
Yamuna basin

Structure and composition is done in such a way to give it a natural view

and
environment
The soil for mounds was brought from a digging wasteland and reservoirs.

Different species of grass and shrubs were planted for soil better holding
and for
increasing biomass
Different ecosystems such as deciduous forest, evergreen forest, subtropical evergreen,

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moist tropical deciduous forest etc.

Broad divisions are bambuselum, Nature Interpretation centre,

conservatory of fruit
yielding species, wetland for migratory birds and the nature reserve area.

Discussions:
Yamuna Biodiversity park is one of its kind .Though being a great lover of flora and fauna, it
was my first visit to any biodiversity park .And indeed this trip has left behind many important
and great experiences into my diary. I had got to see many different kinds of plants which we
dont often see them. Though we had ESCAPADE intra college fest on that day , my trip to the
YAMUNA BIODIVERSITY PARK made my day and indeed anything in the three day fest
couldnt compete with the experience I had gained at the biodiversity park . The guide there was
really awesome and had given ample of his time in showing us different kinds of plants and few
birds made me extensively happy .I was disappointed as I got to wait for these many days to
experience such a beautiful trip. Though only concern I had was the trip was for very short time
.If this could be managed for the next time , it will definitely be a great experience to everyone
importantly to the fauna and flora lovers .I would like to thank DIMITRIS KASKOUTIS sir
making me to enjoy this trip .

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References:
I used some online resources to complete this Field Trip Report successfully, following are the
links which were used

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-12-07/news/27595587_1_butterflypark-biodiversity-parks-cr-babu
http://india-magazine.com/tourism-yamuna-biodiversity-park/
http://rsjms.com/v2/?portfolio=visit-to-the-yamuna-biodiversity-park

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