Last updated: June 2024
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has established a network of Biodiversity Parks in Delhi with unique landscapes that harbour a diversity of plants, animals and microbes living in ecologically sustainable biotic communities and rendering multiple ecological services. Presently there are seven Biodiversity Parks developed by DDA located across the landforms of Delhi. These parks have a mosaic of habitats with rich floristic and faunistic diversity that function as a dynamic ecosystem. They have ecosystem processes such as organic matter decomposition, regeneration of plants, pollination, resting and nesting of birds and colonisation by other animals. The biodiversity parks in Delhi have proved to provide extreme essential services by creating ecological corridors and maintaining the genetic diversity in an urban setup. Furthermore, these parks have shown substantial potential in storing carbon and other pollutants and help in mitigating climate change. [2, 3]
DifferentLayersOfForestEcosystem
https://www.delhibiodiversityparks.org/index.html
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Environmental quality
- Soil quality improvement
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems
Project objectives
The overarching goal is the conservation and preservation of ecosystems of the two major life-supporting systems of Delhi, the river Yamuna and the Aravalli hills. The more detailed goals are:
1. To conserve biodiversity, especially the native biodiversity of Delhi and to protect the natural heritage of the ridge and river basin.
2. To establish field gene banks for threatened landraces and wild genetic resources.
3. To develop a mosaic of treatment and catchment wetlands that not only improve the water quality of untreated sewage but also 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.
4. To render multiple ecological services including carbon sequestration and recharge of groundwater aquifers.
5. To create educational and recreational benefits for the urban society. [2, 3]
Implementation activities
The Biodiversity Parks were developed on two types of landforms in Delhi, the floodplain of the river Yamuna and the rocky and sloppy terrain of the Aravalli mountain region. Biodiversity Parks at the floodplains have wetlands, marshes, swamps, islands, shoals, lakes, floodplain forests and different biotic communities native to the area. Additionally, constructed wetland systems were developed, which created a mosaic with patches of grasslands, forests and marsh communities. Visitors' zones with conservatory of herbal plants, butterflies, sericulture zones, and field gene banks have been developed. In the mountenous region and ridge, edaphic communities, shrublands, bulbous and succulent plants of rocky habitat, grasslands and savannahs were developed. Wetlands and lakes in the area were restored back. Also, visitors' zone were created with conservatories of medicinal plants, butterflies, fernery and many more. In addition to this, viewing points for animals were also created. [3]
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
- Improve carbon sequestration through selection of more adaptable species
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Regional government
- Researchers/university
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The development of DDA Biodiversity Park was undertaken by joint collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Management and Degraded Ecosystem (CEMDE), the University of Delhi, with a provision for the recruitment of the requisite staff by the University of Delhi for Delhi Biodiversity Foundation, a committee to oversee the development of the Biodiversity Parks. The Chairman of the Foundation is the Lt. Governor of Delhi and it has an executive committee, which is chaired by the Vice-Chairman, DDA. The executive committee looks after the day to day activities in the Biodiversity Parks. The University is entrusted with the development of the parks with scientific staff. The landscape department prepares conceptual maps and the engineering department executes the works on ground. [3]
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(Biological Diversity Act, 2002 [1, 3])
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Section 5(a) of Delhi Development Act, 1956 [3])
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Increased number of protection areas
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Increased protection of threatened species
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of natural heritage
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Delhi Development Authority. (n.d.) Biodiversity Parks. URL: Source link. Accessed on 25th April, 2022.
2. Delhi Biodiversity Foundation. (n.d.) URL: Source link. Accessed on 25th April, 2022.
3. Delhi Development Authority (2021). Biodiversity Parks. Nature Reserves of Delhi. Public Relations Department, DDA. URL: Source link. Accessed on 25th April, 2022.
2. Delhi Biodiversity Foundation. (n.d.) URL: Source link. Accessed on 25th April, 2022.
3. Delhi Development Authority (2021). Biodiversity Parks. Nature Reserves of Delhi. Public Relations Department, DDA. URL: Source link. Accessed on 25th April, 2022.
WetlandBiodiversity
https://www.delhibiodiversityparks.org/index.html
BirdsAtBiodiversityPark
https://www.delhibiodiversityparks.org/index.html
EnrichingSpeciesDiversity
https://www.delhibiodiversityparks.org/index.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy. The case study was identified through ICLEI's Cities with Nature initiative.