YAMUNA BIODIVERSITY PARK:

A CASE STUDY
ABHISHEK NAIR

1610110006, an233
DATE OF VISIT-10/9/16
DATE OF SUBMISSION-23/09/16

CONTENTS

1.

INTRODUCTION

3-8

HISTORY

MAP

BACKGROUND

CHARACTERISTICS

1.

OBSERVATIONS

FLORA

FAUNA

WETLANDS

1.

DISCUSSION

2.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

21

3.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

22

8- 16

16- 20

INTRODUCTION
Living in the 21st century where one is surrounded by concrete walls and loud machinery it's
almost impossible to find a peaceful and serene surrounding. The Yamuna Biodiversity park is in
total contrast with it's immediate surroundings; with cool air constantly flowing and the lush
greenery around provides a picturesque environment which is a totally different atmosphere from
our daily hustle bustle and traffic.

HISTORY

The Yamuna biodiversity park achieves this due to it's widely expanded area of lush greenery,
small water bodies and the various species of organisms residing in this park of 457 acres. This
park is a home not only for countless number of species on the verge of extinction but also to a
variety of medicinal and commercial plants. The Yamuna biodiversity park is divided into two
major zones of 300 acres and 157 acres. The visitors and environmental enthusiasts are shown
around in the 157 acre zone. The two zones are linked by a bridge which is strategically placed so
that the various species of animals can easily traverse to the 157 acre zone as the other zone is a
flood active zone due to it's lower elevation as compared to the first zone.

The human consciousness has so evolved that we consider ourselves on the pinnacle of the food
chain and do not believe in any sort of natural hierarchy to exist in the environment which has
lead to our relentless exploitaion of the resources and merciless destruction of the environment
and hence disturbing the ecological balance and thus consequently it affects all the species
adversely; mainly due to loss of their natural habitat. The Yamuna biodiversity park steps in with
an aim to save the natural landscapes. The two major biodiversity parks of north india are the
Yamuna and Aravali biodiversity parks.

MAP

The Yamuna biological park as its name suggests is situated on the fertile flat alluvial plains of
Yamuna in New Delhi. This park was built on the motive of conservation of the environment
and if one was to base their conclusions by the variety of animals and plants and insects the
Yamuna biodiversity park has been able to conserve, then it can be easily deduced they have
come extremely close in achieving their dream.

The Yamuna bodiversity park is an initiative to conserve the keystone species and varities of
plants and birds which are facing imminent threat and are on the verge of extinction. The
biodiversity parks are also a mode of recreation and can be used for educational purposes by
sensitizing various students and other environmental enthusiasts about the need for conservation
of these major landforms. These parks act as heritage sites too.

The Yamuna biodiversity park is a home for more than 50 endangered species and act as carbon
di oxide sinks and thus clean the air. They modify the weather of the immediate surroundings and
provide ambient temperatures they also promote tourism and travel as environmental enthusiasts
from across the world come to view the progress of a man made forest.it also serves as gene
pools for the conservation of endangered species.

BACKGROUND

There is a mythology that follows the Yamuna river which is that Yamuna or jamuna or yami, is
the twin sister of yama , the god of death. Daughter of sun god vivasvat. It is considered that
whoever takes a dip in the holy waters of the source stream of Yamuna may not have the fear of
death

Yamuna , one of the great and sacred rivers of india originated at the peaks of Sumeru mountain.
Then the river descended down towards the southern side of the great mountain. Yamuna is the
consort of lord krishna. Gokul, the divine abode of the lord is also the home of Yamuna. It is
believed that the river first went round shri krishna before descendind down to earth as per the
order of her lord.

River Yamuna came to be called as kalindi as she touched the peak of kalind. Then she
descended down the hills and reached the plains at khanav vana which has been developed as
delhi city now.

Mythologically the river is known to have been diverted for irrigation by Balram through the use

of his gigantic plough.

The urban side of Delhi ,which is most of Delhi has been recognised as one of the cities with the
most polluted air. Thus the Yamuna biodiversity park situated in delhi is an initiative not only to
conserve forests but also to restore the fresh air which was available only in the presence of trees
and maintaining an ecological balance which evidently has been disturbed. The damage is severe
but not irreversible, thats where the Yamuna biodiversity park comes in.

CHARACTERISTICS

Currently University of Delhi is implementing two DDA funded Biodiversity Park Projects

namely Yamuna Biodiversity Park: Establishment & Management; and Aravali Biodiversity Park:
Establishment & Management with Prof. C. R. Babu as the head officer and Faisal Khudzar as
the brains behind this wonderful project and in charge of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. In order
to make better preservation of the environment and to regain the long lost cological, aesthetical
and cultural quality of Biodiversity sites in Delhi, the DDA has set up the Delhi Biodiversity
Foundation. The idea of such biodiversity parks are backed by the research work of teams of
scientists who have in depth knowledge in the areas of field biology, ecology, wildlife, taxonomy,
conservation, habitat restoration, natural resource management and nature education. Other than
these experts , there are trained technical supporting staff who are conducting research on the
development and management of these parks. The Foundation consists of two groups; Governing
body and Executive committee.

To recaptulate the main goals of the Yamuna biodiversity park, which namely are for promotion
of sensitizing the citizens on the need for such parks, creation of wetlands for ecological balance
and monitoring the ecology of delhi. Thus the people behind this beautiful idea to achieve these
goals by creeating the Yamuna biodiversity park have evidently put in tons of effort and
conducted immense research to make this project such a success. The Yamuna biodiversity park
hence is a neccesity now to maintain a check on the pollution levels of delhi and restore the long
lost ecological balance to the national capital

OBSERVATION

On reaching the Yamuna biodiversity park on an early saturday morning, we were welcomed by
the loud yet pleasant chirping of various birds which induces some freshness and composes
everyone. On entering the biodiversity park , the view of various species of birds and insects
flying around proves that the Yamuna biodiversity park has achieved their purpose. They have
maintained a systematic collection of pictures and remains of various species found in the park
which provides in depth information about them.

The Yamuna biodiversity park's fertile alluvial soil is an eldorado of medicinal plants and plants
of high commercial value. Plants like Katkaranj Caesalpinia crista useful for anthelmintic,
antipyretic,laxative, tonic,for malaria and skin diseases etc.patherchatta bryophyllum calycianum
are also found in this park which is used to remove kidney stone and other urinary troubles,
konch mucuna pruriens are used as a general tonic it's pods are eaten as vegetables,Brahmi
Bacopa monnieri is used as a nerve tonic for asthma anaemia and brain tonic,Sadabahar
Catharanthus roseus is another plant of medicinal value whose roots are used for hypertension,
ghao bhel argyreia nervosa is a leaf poultice which heals wound and treats sore feet. Sankhpushpi
convolvulus microfillus which is used as a brain tonic and as a memory booster and the hadjora
cissus quadrangula is used for treatment of broken bones and its paste is used to relieve thhe
stress from asthma attacks. These are just few of the medicinal plants that are available in this
park.

Having flown for more than 500km Yamuna from yamnotri enters hot and dry indian plains.
These plains harbour economically important teak community. Delhi has a variety of wetland
ecosystems such as floodplains,ponds,lakes,marshes etc. Some of the wetlands are naturally
occuring in the landscape whereas others are man made. These wetland ecosystems provide
suitable habitat for rich diversity of plants and animals to survive and flourish. Major man made
wetlands in delhi are sanjay lake, national zoological park lakke etc are the major wetlands
associated with the Yamuna river. There are also many seasonal ponds found in the floodplains
which are formed after the recession of the flood waters of Yamuna. Another wetland ecosystem
observed in the delhi region is the najafgarh lake, which recieves flood waters from the sahibi
nadi besides the rainfall run off.

The diversity in wetland habitats both natural and man made supports a rich diversity of plants
and animals. Approximately 160 bird species are associated with the wetlands and adjoining
areas, out of 444 species of birds which reported from the delhi region. Similarly, more than 150
plant species grow in or near wetlands. Yamuna river and the other water bodies present in the
delhi region support approximately 87 species of fresh water inland fishes.

From what was observed en route to the biodiversity park and in the park itself one can make
several assumptions and deductions about the Delhi ecosystem. Starting with the population of
70,000 people in medieval times, the city of Delhi has expanded to host over 150 lakhs people.
Delhi is situated on the watershed dividing two major river systems- the ganga and the indus .
Thar desert binds it in the west, himalayas in the north, indo-gangetic plains in the east aravali
hills in the south. The geology consists of feruginious and limestone, quartzite grits and schistose
rocks intruded by granites and amphiboles.

The delhi ridge , whuch is actually an extension of the aravali hills, enters the city from the south
and extends straight to the Yamuna in a north east direction. The forest is mainly tropical
deciduous and the dominant vegetation is thorny shrub. Dominant trees are acacia nilotica, A.
Catechu, butea monosperma etc. The dominant shrubs are adhatoda vesica, caparis separia and
cassia spinarium

The Yamuna biodiversity park is an example of an artificial forest which enables one to
understand the various components of a forest and how the tiniest of components like insects and
pollen are extremely essential for the maintainence of forests. The necessity for pollination was
stressed on repeatedly by the tour guides which consequentially indicates the importance of
insects which is now overlooked by everyone living in the cities. The Yamuna biodiversity has
wetlands which is the much required living conditions for dragon flies which keeps a population
check of mosquitoes and thus preventing diseases like chikungunya and dengue from spreading
unlike in cities where there are no wet lands. Hence the breeding of mosquitoes is not
controllable and diseases are easily spread.

The wildlife existing in the Yamuna biodiversity park are an indication to several resources like
for example spotting a specific bird on a tree indicates that the tree bears fruits, spotting a
kingfisher indicates the presence of a water body.

The Yamuna biodiversity park had to face several challenges, and one of them being high soil
salinity of the marshland that was to be used in the biodiversity park. The soils salinity is
checked by Phytoremediation which describes the treatment of several issues through the use of
plants that prevent the environmental problem without wasting the resources. Hence the high
salinity problem was tackled by using plants that absorb the salt in the soil. The plant species like
rufous Treepie, Indian pangolin epidendrum sp, Coclogyne mayanana, Gramatophylm etc are the
founder plants that were sown to reduce the salinity of the soil. The soil is checked monthly for
ph levels, salinity, water holding capacity and is also checked for the levels of several minerals.

The park was started by planting trees that were grown in indoor nurseries, but looking at the
progress and the rapid growth of the park serves as an evidence for the fact that autorehabilitation is taking place in the park. The extremely diverse flora and fauna also serve as a
proof to this fact. The biodiversity park experts still expect a lot of biodiversity to come up so that
the park can become more and more self-sufficient.

The park has received immense help from neighbouring villages in providing services like
maintainence of the park to multitasking with activities like digging, cutting, collecting etc. since
its initiation in 2002, the park has come out as a place to experience and understand nature ie
provide a first hand experience to several enthusiasts and students by showing the various levels

of forests and how the forest function on its own. More and more oppurtuniities would come up
as the park inches towards it complete establishment.

The biodiversity park has used several clever and extremely useful methods and ideas to speed up
the progress and achieve more out of less and make the best use of time in hand. One of such
ideas being the poly-house.

Polyhouses are used at the biodiversity park to germinate seeds that are usually unable to grow on
their own in the wild. They are also used to germinate seeds throughout the year by creating an
artificial atmosphere and climate inside to facilitate germination as waiting for the required

conditions to come and also ensure the crop security and quality is not a viable option. A
polyhouse works on the same principles as a green house and thus by trapping the sunlight
temperature, humidity and ventilation can be controlled by equipment fixed inside.

Another such technique is the net house which is framed structure made of materials like angle
iron, wood or bamboo. Its covered with a plastic sheet and are kept in the enclosure of the net
house for two or three months and sometimes observed for six months and are slowly made to
adapt to the conditions outdoor which might prove fatal at the germination stage. Once the
monsoons arrive the saplings are directly transplanted from the net house to the park outside.

A rough statistic indicating the biodiversity in the park are as follows: Plants (including
medicinal plants, aquatic plants, grass) 874 species, Butterflies -75 species. Dragonflies and
damselflies 35 species. Birds 196 species, Reptiles 18 species, Mammals 18 species,
Fishes 18 species. Other animals including amphibians and invertebrates 400 species

DISCUSSION
The Yamuna biodiversity park is thus one of the best examples to look up to, when it comes to
conserving Indias beautiful natural landscapes. The tour guides who are also environmentalists
and a member of the Yamuna biodiversity park project enlightened the students with in depth
information about the various challenges faced by them in making this park and cultivating this
project into a huge success it is today,

From the very beginning of the tour we were shown a tree called Coccinia Indica which is
lolcally known as the kundru tree. This tree was abundantly found in the city of delhi in the early
days before the rapid urbanisation romped over the various biological forms that existed.

The kundru tree had various medical uses such as, treating high blood sugar and also finds its
use in various ayurvedic recipes. We were taught about the various zones of the forests and how
the research team and the environmentalists together have been able to achieve the Yamuna
biodiversity park we see today.

The importance of pollination was constantly emphasised upon by our guides and how something
as trivial as a dragonfly is useful to maintain the ecologic balance by keeping a population check
of the mosquitoes. The park tour consisted of a 1.5km walk which consisted of various plants,
butterfly conservatory, polyhouses and nethouses.

We were shown various species of plants and also listed their uses to us for eg the mahua tree
which is used in making alcohol and also in the manufacturing process of bidis is the main source
of income for the people of UP.

The park and various needs for the maintenance and well being are being fed by the continuous
government involvement including DDA and other programs. Different processes undertaken by
the experts help maintain the park.

The entire trip has taught us the importance of maintaining an ecological balance so as to live a
prosperous life. The importance of the various components was also made clear by the forest
officials who were a major part of the project.

The Yamuna biodiversity park is great example of an artificial forest, which helps the officials
and environmentalists to assess the various components of a forest which helps them in tackling
various of problems faced due to ecological imbalance elsewhere.

The variety of species found in the biodiversity is an evidence of the fact that the members of the
Yamuna project have succeeded. The Yamuna biodiversity park teaches one about the importance
of symbiotic relationship which is shown by various species. All of the lessons learnt from the
tour just emphasises on the fact of need for conservation of biodiversity.

The Yamuna Biodiversity Park has been made with Ecosystem-based management which is an
environmental management approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an
ecosystem, including humans, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem
services in isolation (Christensen et al. 1996, McLeod et al. 2005). In light of significant
ecosystem degradation, a holistic approach was employed, that combines environmental
knowledge and coordination with governing agencies to initiate, sustain and enforce habitat and
species protection, and include public education and involvement.

Whole ecosystem approaches to management ensure not only the survival of species and scenic
vistas, but also allow these systems to continuously evolve and change. A focus was made not on
a single, end-all goal, but instead on a combination of goals and their relationships with each
other, and the team behind the project have evidently succeeded in achieving the goals.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my heartfelt and sincere gratitude to my Proffesor Jyoti Sharma. The
entire experience of the Yamuna biodiversity park was enlightening and exciting at the same time.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to the experts who accompanied us to our trip and also
our tour guides who provided us with in depth information and helped us realize the importance
of conservation of biodiversity.

The lessons learnt throughout the entire duration of the course including the field trip will leave
an indelible imprint in my mind and forever implement the deeds that are expected out of a good
citizen.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
REFERENCES CITED
Sharma, S.N.(2012) Yamuna Biodiversity Park,Delhi. New Delhi, India: EduPedia Publication

. Soeftestad, Lars T.(1989) Man-Environment Relations in Anthropology: On the Formulation of

the Cultural Ecology Approach. Norway:

Adger College, Kristiansand, pp. 9-10. Biodiversity park of Delhi-Delhi development Authority.

Scientists engaged to develop four biodiversity parks www.deccanherald.com. ShagunKapil, Aug

23, 2015, NEW DELHI: DHNS:

http://anthro.du.ac.in/common/case_study_yamuna.pdf

https://da.org in green/biodiv/goals html

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/01092/wg- 23052012_partII_1092700a.pdf