YAMUNA

BIODIVERSITY
PARK

Yamuna Biodiversity Park is a recent initiative for generating mass

awareness to assist in restoration of the river as well as serve as a protected bed for the wetland
ecosystem surrounding the river. Maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the park has
three entry points. The ISBT/Kashmere Gate entry is the most centrally located with Bhajanpura in
the East & Wazirabad up further North being the other two gates.
Conceptualized & designed in association with the academia from the Centre for Environmental
Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), Delhi University and other prominent institutes &
scientists, the park has been intelligently demarcated on the basis of utility. There is a visitor's zone
with an Interpretation Centre & a Domesticated Biodiversity Zone facilitating awareness trips &
research. The result is an area of over 400 Acres depicting a rich kaleidoscope of flora & fauna in the
middle of a metropolis desperately looking for more green lungs.
Our trip to the Yamuna Biodiversity Park
We visited the Yamuna Biodiversity Park on 15 th of October, 2015. The moment we entered this park,
we realized how amazingly different it was from the buzzing city just outside the gate. Just after
entering, we saw a plethora of different kinds of trees, climbers, insects buzzing, and a lot of other
types of living things. After walking through that boulevard full of biodiversity we entered their
auditorium-like area, where we were shown a very short documentary on the Yamuna Biodiversity
Park. In that documentary, we observed the heterogeneity of the animal and plant kingdom that was
present inside this park. That documentary really managed to move my perception and I suddenly
became really aware of the fact that human beings are just a minuscule proportion among all the
living beings in this planet. Further, we were taken inside the park where we observed the
biodiversity on a bigger and more informative level. We were told a lot of very interesting facts about
all the plants, animals, butterflies, insects, etc. there. Along with the various uses they have. We even

tried a wild fruit which I dont remember the name of and it tasted sweet at first and then it turned
sour! It was a very fun experience for all of us.
What is Biodiversity? And how is it important?
Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural
patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by
natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we
are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend.
This diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms.
So far, about 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures such as insects.
Scientists reckon that there are actually about 13 million species, though estimates range from three
to 100 million.
Biodiversity also includes genetic differences within each species - for example, between varieties of
crops and breeds of livestock. Chromosomes, genes, and DNA-the building blocks of life-determine
the uniqueness of each individual and each species.
Yet another aspect of biodiversity is the variety of ecosystems such as those that occur in deserts,
forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each ecosystem, living
creatures, including humans, form a community, interacting with one another and with the air, water,
and soil around them.

It is the combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the
environment that has made Earth a uniquely habitable place for humans. Biodiversity provides a
large number of goods and services that sustain our lives.
Protecting biodiversity is in our self-interest. Biological resources are the pillars upon which we build
civilizations. Nature's products support such diverse industries as agriculture, cosmetics,
pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment. The loss of
biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of
wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.

Our need for pieces of nature we once ignored is often important and unpredictable. Time after time
we have rushed back to nature's cupboard for cures to illnesses or for infusions of tough genes from
wild plants to save our crops from pest outbreaks. What's more, the vast array of interactions among
the various components of biodiversity makes the planet habitable for all species, including humans.
Our personal health, and the health of our economy and human society, depends on the continuous
supply of various ecological services that would be extremely costly or impossible to replace. These
natural services are so varied as to be almost infinite. For example, it would be impractical to
replace, to any large extent, services such as pest control performed by various creatures feeding on
one another, or pollination performed by insects and birds going about their everyday business.
Lastly, the value of Biodiversity is immense! The following are the goods as well as services we
derive from the Biodiversity of our planet Earth:

Provision of food, fuel and fibre

Provision of shelter and building materials

Purification of air and water

Detoxification and decomposition of wastes

Stabilization and moderation of the Earth's climate

Moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind

Generation and renewal of soil fertility, including nutrient cycling

Pollination of plants, including many crops

Control of pests and diseases

Maintenance of genetic resources as key inputs to crop varieties and livestock breeds,
medicines, and other products

Cultural and aesthetic benefits

Ability to adapt to change

About the Biodiversity Park

Started in the year of 2002, the Yamuna Biodiversity Park has become a home for biologically rich
wetlands, grassland communities, a wide variety of fruit yielding species and an abundance of

medicinal herbs. 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 Yamuna Biodiversity Park is presently spread over an area of approximately
457 acres near Wazirabad village on the flat alluvial plains of the Yamuna.
The front portion of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, a 220m southward and 140m northward stretch
from the main entry gate with 20-30m width is demarcated as Domesticated Biodiversity Zone.
Enclosed by a hedge of poplar, it features plants like Ailanthus, Butea and Bauhinia that have a
continuous seasonal interest due to their long flower production throughout the season. The outer iron
fencing is embraced by multi-coloured climbers like Jasmine and Quisqualis with the same theme of
continual luxury. Then we have the NIC, ie, the Nature interpretation Centre is a beautiful classical
building with elegant lighting, a red carpet floor, attractive interior designs, panels depicting various
biodiversity levels, touch screens, and visual-aids that provide an insight into the basic concepts of
biodiversity. Then we have the butterfly conservatory, the sacred grove, the Herbal garden and the
amphitheatre where we also watched the documentary on Biodiversity mentioned before. The
amphitheatre is an open auditorium, the herbal garden offers a collection of about 450 plant species
with healing properties.

The Biodiversity inside the park.

Inside the Biodiversity park, a man who works for the same guided us through our entire trip and told
us bout all the animal and plant species along with fun facts and their uses. A fruit named Khirni
was the first thing he showed us.
Second, we were shown a fruit named Latjeera, it is called Latjeera because it has resemblance to
jeera or cumin seed. It is a medicinal plant which is used for Cancer treatment as well as for treating
Malaria. Also, Rishis used to treat this as a staple food as it quenches your hunger.
Third, we saw a fruit named Mahua, which is used for making wine and is found mostly in Central
India. Gon tribals worship this fruit and also mention this specific fruit in a lot of their songs and it is a
great source of protein.
Then, we saw a very unique beautiful tree which is known as the Fishtail palms or Caryota in
scientific terminology. Caryota is a genus of palm trees. They are often known as fishtail
palms because of the shape of their leaves.

As we moved further, we were taken to a wetland.

What is a wetland?
Wetlands are highly variable and dynamic: they are water bodies but also include
land. They are freshwater, brackish or saline, inland or coastal, seasonal or permanent, natural or
man-made. Wetlands include mangroves, (peat) swamps and marshes, rivers, lakes, floodplains and
flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs. Wetlands are one of the worlds most important
environmental assets, containing a disproportionately high number of plant and animal species
compared to other areas of the world. Throughout history they have been integral to human survival
and development.
The Wetland of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park was so amazing. Firstly, the second we stepped inside
the vicinity of the wetland, a cool breeze swept us, and we immediately realized the importance of
wetlands, i.e., even though the temperature away from the wetland was very hot and I was sweating,
the temperature around the wetland was considerably lower. Our guide told us about the benefits of
a wetland which are as follows: Wetlands are one of the most undervalued ecosystems but
provide a range of vital services. They provide food, they filter water and offer a unique
habitat for many different species. They also control micro-climates.
We also realized another thing, even though the wetland was a stagnant water body, no mosquitoes
were biting us, we were told that this was due to the fact that there were Dragonflies present there.
Dragonflies feed on mosquitoes and mosquito larvae and this is the reason behind the absence of
mosquitoes. This also relates to the understanding that if our ecosystem was as balanced outside
the biodiversity park as it was inside it, we would have much less global issues, be it related to
health, or otherwise.
There were a lot of Egrets in the wetland. Another species of birds known as cormorants were
present there. The guide told us that these cormorants migrate from China to India in winters.
Further ahead, we were shown a species of flowers known as Sarpgandha which is known to lower
high blood pressure and is also helpful in treating snakebites.
We were also shown a a very interesting seed dispersal, the seed is known as the Vernonia seed.
It dispersed withing a few seconds of sprinkling some water on it. It is an angiosperm or a flowering
plant.

Next, we entered the butterfly conservatory and witnessed for ourselves the stupefying varieties of
butterflies! We were shown the egg of the lime butterfly, It is a swallowtail butterfly. Swallowtail
butterflies are large, colorful butterflies. Unlike most swallowtail butterflies, it does not have a
prominent tail. This butterfly has also been referred to as the butterfly of death.
Plain tiger butterfly was another specie of butterfly among the many we observed inside the
conservatory. The plain tiger can be considered the archetypical
danaine of India. The body is black with many white spots. The
wings are tawny, the upper side brighter and richer than the
underside. The apical half of the forewing is black with a white
band. The hindwing has three black spots around the center. The
hindwing has a thin border of black enclosing a series of
semicircular white spots.
At last, we were taken to another water body in the park, where a
bridge made of bamboo took us over a stretch of water. From this pretty bamboo bridge, we saw a
cormorant.

The Bamboo Bridge

A Pretty Cormorant
While walking out of the office, we noticed a
interesting stone that had been carved, The
entrance to one of the buildings, there was
overgrowns with vines and creepers, and
looked quite interesting.

very