E-Paper
Civic Sanskriti: Why Pune’s biodiversity strategy is no walk in the park
Civic Sanskriti: Pune’s biodiversity conservation plan and strategy should be carried out with ward-wise public participation
PUNE Citizens’ protests against the conversion of forests and grasslands on the hilltops and hill slopes such as Taljai or Baner into ornamental gardens and amphitheatres and channelising and concretising of streams are not just romantic fantasies or anti-development stances. They have a sound basis that considers the benefits of biodiversity for our well-being in the city.
The web of life
The Web of Life is a game that environment educators love to engage children and even adults in. We stand in a circle representing different elements in nature, including the sun, water, soil, air, microbes, fungi, different plants, and animals. Passing a ball of string, each participant in turn talks about how the element they represent is connected to another. The web that results shows how nature has complex interconnections which we often don’t realise.
The presence of natural ecosystems in a city makes the urban landscape more liveable. Hillslopes that are vegetated and undisturbed help percolate rainwater, have lesser erosion, and regulate the micro-climate. They act as sinks for pollutants and bringing these substances back into natural cycles.
Earlier, biodiversity studies in Pune have shown the connection of these natural areas to the cityscape. Bats and birds that help control insect populations in the city need the natural habitats on the hills, streams, and riverbanks to nest, roost and breed undisturbed. Beehives in these natural areas, and butterflies that begin life on host plants there, also help in the pollination of plants in city gardens.
Dr Swati Gole, director of Pune’s Ecological Society says “Hill ranges, rivers with their riparian vegetation, roadside trees, hedge-rows support not only biodiversity movement but also the flows of energy and water through the city ecosystems. Landscape ecology is a relatively new science, but such landscape facets must be considered while making the city’s development plans.”
“Natural geomorphic, soil, hydrologic and biological processes such as the growth of various kinds of vegetation, population dynamics of birds, small animals, insects are closely linked to the landscape mosaic. Human activities almost always interact with natural processes to produce new landscape mosaic patterns. Natural vegetated grassy, shrubby, woodland, riparian ‘patches’ of appropriate size and numbers are necessary so that they are connected and have adequate and sustained functioning of biological processes without human inputs”.
When we simplify the ecosystem by removing native plant species, converting forests or grasslands into parks and gardens, excavating soil, and making roads, we unravel the web of life. Since the city is already extensively covered with buildings and roads, the last remaining natural areas become more precious. It’s important to understand that these natural areas provide us benefits other than recreation.
Needed - plan for biodiversity conservation
These recent protests underline the need for a well-thought-out biodiversity action plan for Pune. Eminent biodiversity expert Dr Erach Bharucha says, “Ideally, policymakers and the public in Pune should deliberate on how we can conserve biodiversity, considering our own needs and values, and studies, good practices, and policy guidance available.”
Other cities in India are already doing so. Kudos to Pimpri-Chinchwad for developing its Biodiversity report recently. Kochi in Kerala has gone a step further and prepared a local biodiversity strategy and action plan. These cities have used the City Biodiversity Index framework to prepare the biodiversity status report.
Under this framework, cities are expected to promote natural biodiversity and allocate budgets for conservation, learning and management. Protecting remnant natural areas in cities can mean, for example, preventing the destruction of the habitat due to quarrying, buildings, and hard paved roads, preventing littering, reducing bright lights and sounds at night-time that disturb wildlife, removing, and controlling alien invasive species (like Lantana).
We can try to infuse biodiversity into built-up spaces through roadside plantations, public parks, and home gardens. Let’s bring nature closer to people, rather than converting the last remaining natural areas into built spaces for increased crowds.
Pune had set up a Biodiversity Management Committee. Indeed, public deliberations would not only help us make a biodiversity action plan but also raise our collective understanding and commitment to conservation. Such understanding is essential for cities to address the climate and ecological crises we now face.
