Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar on July 2, 2020 inaugurated Urban forest in the the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India which is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.
Detail: Keeping in view the limited area, local material was adopted to enable intensive afforestation. The forest is made up of trees which are native to the area and are three dimensional, multi-layered communities having 30 times the surface area of the greenery of single-layered lawns, and have more than 30 times the ability to protect against natural disasters and to conserve the environment.
About URBAN Forest
Urban forests are the lungs of the cities and act as an oxygen bank and Carbon Sink. The Miyawaki method of forest creation is employed which could help in reducing the temperature by as much as 14 degree & increase the moisture by more than 40%.
With minimal maintenance, including watering and de-weeding, the urban forest will be self-sustainable by October 2021. The Urban forest has an ecosystem which has the capacity to restore habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and microfauna. These are essential for pollination of crops and fruits and to help maintain a balanced ecosystem.
A dense forest ecosystem has been created in an area that is little over 1 acre in size. The multi-layered forest has shrubs, small to medium-size trees and tall trees carefully arranged as peripheral and core plant communities.
Rare native species
Some of the rare native species planted here include Anogeissus pendula (Dhonk), Diospyros cordifolia (Bistendu), Ehretia laevis (chamrod), Wrightia tinctoria (Doodhi), Mitragyna parvifolia (Kaim), Butea monosperma (Palash), Prosopis cineraria (Khejri), Clerodendrum phlomidis(Arni), Grewia asiatica (Falsa), Phoenix sylvestris (Khajoor) and Helicteres isora (Marodphali). The species selected are part of Delhi’s potential natural vegetation and are best suited to the region’s terrain, climate and soil.
Miyawaki method
The ‘Miyawaki Method’- invented by the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, is a unique technique to grow forests. Under this method, dozens of native species are planted in the same area, close to each other, which ensures that the plants receive sunlight only from the top, and grow upwards than sideways.
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