Creating urban biodiversity parks from degraded lands

M. Shah Hussain, scientist-in-charge of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, leads a team that has transformed degraded land into a thriving forest. Image by Nidhi Jamwal. via Mongabay, India

• Delhi hosts seven biodiversity parks, which were restored from degraded lands to serve as urban forests, providing ecological benefits.

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

• Experts advocate treating biodiversity parks as essential green infrastructure in city planning, aligning with global and national environmental commitments.

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The posh Poorvi Marg runs through Vasant Vihar in South Delhi, with bungalows, residential colonies, prestigious schools, and foreign embassies all along the way. The road finally leads to a green iron gate beyond which lies Aravalli Biodiversity Park (ABP).

The gate separates the urban sprawl of the national capital of Delhi from an urban common of a large forest teeming with a variety of flora and fauna. A few metres into the biodiversity park, smelling of fresh leaves and microbe-rich soil, the mercury drops perceptibly. Birds and butterflies abound. Sunrays dapple the ground and play peekaboo through a canopy of trees native to the Aravalli mountain range.

Deep inside the green haven M. Shah Hussain sits in his office. An ecologist, he first came here 20 years ago to survey the area to develop a biodiversity park. “Looking at the green cover and forest sprawl now, it is hard to imagine that this portion of the Aravalli was a degraded wasteland pockmarked with abandoned mining pits two decades ago. There were piles of debris [mining waste] everywhere. The invasive plant vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) had taken over the entire landscape,” says Hussain.

Hussain is the scientist-in-charge of ABP and heads a team that has meticulously restored 692 acres (280 hectares, equivalent to 524 football fields) of degraded land into a flourishing forest. It is now a spot for regular nature walks, forest trails, and an eco-education hub for school and college students.

“Hundreds of people visit Aravalli Biodiversity Park daily, which is particularly popular among the young. This is one of the ways of connecting our urban youth with nature,” says Hussain.

Ram Narayan Prasad, a 55-year-old gardener from Bhanwar Singh Camp, an informal settlement in Vasant Vihar, has played a pivotal role in transforming ABP with a little more than just his bare hands and basic gardening tools. He proudly says, “Twenty years ago, this place was desolate, extensively mined for Badarpur sand. Deep pits and trucks filled the landscape. Now, it’s a lush forest.”

Field biologist Rizwan Khan, affiliated with Aravalli Biodiversity Park, explains how three deep mining pits were repurposed into conservatories for butterflies, ferns, and orchids—the latter being Delhi’s only orchid conservatory. A narrow, uneven path descends about 30 feet (over nine meters) into an abandoned mining pit, now home to a variety of orchids clinging to tree trunks, showcasing nature’s symbiotic relationships.

The conservatory also features pools of water and diverse flora, including a native bamboo species named lathi baans (Dendrocalamus strictus) and giloy (Tinospora cordifolia), a medicinal climbing shrub. “The cool, damp environment is ideal for orchids to thrive,” says Khan. Anil Biswas, another gardener, has cared for the orchid conservatory for over two decades. “Orchids flourish best during May and June,” he notes.

Hussain also points out a dark crevice in the conservatory’s wall, adding, “This is the only known roosting site for Blyth’s horseshoe bat in Delhi.”

Delhi shows the path

Aravalli Biodiversity Park is one of the seven biodiversity parks in Delhi, possibly the only city in India (or the world) to have so many of them, says Hussain. 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 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).

Among them, the Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park stands out as a restored wetland ecosystem. Legend has it that this natural lake once served as a major water source for the Rajput city of Qila Rai Pithora and was a crucial watering hole on the trade route to Delhi. Studies suggest it was part of a larger watershed that drained this section of the Aravallis, eventually reaching the Yamuna River through a network of nullahs.

However, Neela Hauz faced severe encroachment and became a dumping ground for untreated wastewater. In 2008, the lake was partially filled during the construction of a bridge for the Commonwealth Games. Residents formed the Neela Hauz Citizens Group and filed a public interest litigation to ensure its restoration. On February 15, 2012, the Delhi High Court ordered the lake’s restoration, which has since been completed.

Today, Neela Hauz is a thriving habitat adjacent to Sanjay Van, a reserve forest near Vasant Kunj. It attracts morning and evening joggers, as well as migratory birds. “What is special about this biodiversity park is that it has a ‘constructed wetland’ that treats wastewater before it flows into the lake. Natural processes of aeration and plants/grasses are used to treat polluted water, without any use of machinery or electricity,” explains Dinesh Albertson, field biologist with the park.

Similar to the Aravalli and Neela Hauz Biodiversity Parks, the other five parks in Delhi have also been developed by restoring degraded lands. The Yamuna Biodiversity Park, near Wazirabad, was the first to be established and now hosts biologically rich wetlands, grasslands, fruit-bearing trees and medicinal herbs.

These parks were created with funding from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in collaboration with Delhi University’s Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), where Hussain is affiliated.

“They (the parks) offer multiple ecosystem benefits, helping to build a climate-resilient city,” says Hussain. “They act as carbon sinks, mitigate urban heat and air pollution, recharge groundwater, prevent soil erosion, and reduce urban flooding. Beyond that, visiting these parks provides mental peace, as research increasingly shows,” he adds.

The success of Delhi’s biodiversity parks has triggered a broader conservation model. “Based on the outcomes of the DDA Biodiversity Parks, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has launched a new scheme to establish biodiversity parks in states and union territories across the country,” states a book published by DDA in 2021.

Path for climate resilient cities

“Though Delhi is greenest, but when compared to some of the capital cities of the world, the proportion of Delhi greens (19%) is less than half of what has been found in Moscow, Singapore, Sydney, and London,” writes CR Babu, Professor Emeritus, CEMDE, University of Delhi, in the book published by the DDA.

Despite its green spaces, Delhi frequently makes headlines for environmental challenges such as air pollution, floods, and heatwaves. Rapid urbanisation and loss of green cover have added to Delhi’s vulnerabilities. A recent study by IIT Roorkee highlights the growing flood risks in Delhi’s Yamuna River floodplains, driven by unchecked urban expansion and climatic changes. CR Babu points out that the Delhi ridges, which once acted as a natural shield against dust storms, are now overrun by the invasive Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora). A 2014 book on Delhi ridges says that the continuity of these ridges may have been lost due to developmental expansion and anthropogenic pressure.

Given these challenges, experts suggest the need to expand greening efforts in the city. Akshay Kaul, a New Delhi-based specialist in ecological planning, landscape design, and sustainable architecture, emphasises the global success of restoring degraded urban lands. “Cities worldwide have transformed such areas into urban forests, biodiversity parks, and green commons, which not only provide ecosystem services but also help build climate-resilient cities,” he says. “Delhi has numerous open and degraded spaces that can be redeveloped, restored, and interconnected to deliver benefits like groundwater recharge, flood mitigation, and even wastewater treatment.” Kaul runs a consultancy firm that specialises in ecologically sensitive master planning, landscape, and sustainable architecture.

These environmental issues are not unique to Delhi. Across India, changing rainfall patterns have led to a rise in urban flooding, causing significant damage to infrastructure, businesses, and lives, with far-reaching economic impacts, highlights a paper by the Observer Research Foundation.

Kaul underscores the importance of rethinking urban green spaces. “Green urban commons should not be seen merely as beautification projects. We need a paradigm shift in how we view open spaces, urban forests, and biodiversity parks. They must be seen through the lens of climate resilience, our commitment to the Paris Agreement, and the creation of carbon sinks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Hussain agrees, adding that biodiversity parks are far from ornamental. “They are essential for building climate-resilient cities. For instance, Neela Hauz acts like a sponge, holding excess water and releasing it slowly. When planning cities, we focus on basic infrastructure like roads, drains, and water supply. Similarly, biodiversity parks and urban forests should be seen as fundamental green infrastructure,” he says.

The global community also recognises the value of urban forest-based solutions. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights the benefits of urban forests, green roofs, green walls, and blue zones, which help manage local temperatures and make cities cooler and more liveable.

India is taking significant steps in this direction. In 2020, the MoEF&CC launched the Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), aiming to create 1,000 urban forests (Nagar Vans) and gardens (Nagar Vatikas) across cities. The initiative promotes urban forestry by involving local communities, NGOs, educational institutions, and urban local bodies.

India has also committed to creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through increased forest and tree cover by 2030, with urban forestry playing a critical role, reads a document Urban Forest Through People’s Participation.

This story is supported by the Promise of Commons Media Fellowship 2024, focusing on the significance of commons and its community stewardship.