Yamuna Biodiversity Park

The river Yamuna has had a long geological history and never before has its ecological
condition been as precarious as it is today. The stretch of Yamuna that runs through the Delhi
region is ecologically dead. One major reason for this is the loss of wetlands owing to
“development”. In a developing country like India, wetlands play a very important role in
generating livelihood for many, however, the irony is that they are seen as wastelands and are
diverted for other land uses including agriculture, construction and for dumping garbage. It is
unfortunate that we have failed to recognize the great utility provided by wetlands and have lost
them for short term developmental schemes. These natural resources are renewable but their
rate of renewal is much slower than the rate with which they are being wasted and polluted. This
fact makes these resources scarcer than we think they are. As we go forward, with declining
availability, these fundamental resources will become more and more expensive and only a few
people will be able to afford these— and when such fundamental resources become scarce,
then we will truly have an unmanageable crisis on our hands.
Emerging as the capital's most visited public place and prominent center for learning and
understanding the environment, 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 park features two major zones - the visitor zone and the nature reserve zone.

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.

Located at the main entrance, at the southward end, are three snack bars, a drinking water
facilities and three resting places covered with the vines of Argyreia nervosa, Jasminum
sambac and Petrogea volubilis. Just past the entry pocket and to the right is a “Welcome Rock
facet” representing the origin of the Ganga and Yamuna and their convergence at Allahabad. A
trail further leads to the Bambusetum, the Nature interpretation Centre, the Conservatory of
fruit yielding species, the Migratory duck’s wetland and the Nature Reserve area.

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.

On the left, the landscaping provides two shallow valleys representing rangelands
with 10 mounds representing different ecosystems present from the foothills of the Himalayas
(Siwaliks) through the Yamuna basin, till the point of confluence of the Yamuna and Ganga. The
first rangeland i.e. Rangeland 1, corresponds to an exclusive Sporobolus dianderdominance
while the second one i.e. Rangeland 2 showcases a mixture of native tropical grasses such
as Dichanthium, Chrysopogon, Vetiveria, and Bothriochloa. These two rangelands are bordered
by a serpentine trail. The first loop of the trail connects Rangeland 1 with Herbal garden,
sacred grove and Rangeland 2 while the other loop leads to the butterfly conservatory and
amphitheatre.

The Amphitheatre is an open auditorium, the herbal garden offers a collection of about 450 plant
species with healing properties.

On this loop trail one sometimes comes across bouncing hares and has a chance to watch red-
wattled lapwings and other grassland birds. The exit of the Butterfly Conservatory on the west
side leads to Sacred Grove and the Gene Bank of Petro- and Oil-yielding and other plants
through the Bamboo Bridge from which one can enjoy a view of the resident ducks’ wetland and
a wide variety of fishes.

Surrounding the valley are the Ten Mounds which illustrate the different forest ecosystems in
its miniature form found all along the Yamuna River Basin. The composition of forests, as in
nature, consists of three to four layers: a tree canopy that supports climbers and provides shade
for the middle storey tree layer and shrub layer which in turn protect the ground-cover of herbs
and grasses. Plantation on these mounds is designed on the basis of the structure and
composition of the forest ecosystem found in its natural environment. The whole park has been
designed in such a way that all the mounds have their slopes towards the wetlands. This helps
in proper drainage and also assists in water harvesting. This design has also, through the years,
helped in leaching of salts from the soil, therefore making the soil suitable enough for plants to
grow.
These ecosystems are:

Subtropical mixed evergreen forest ecosystem

Top canopy - Toona ciliata, Dalbergia latifolia, Mitragyna parvifolia, Syzygium cumini
Middle storey - Trewia nudiflora, Artocarpus lakoocha, Cinnamomum camphora,
Shrub layer- Dillenia indica, Coffea benghalensis, Murraya paniculata, Bauhinia malabarica,
Herbs and Grasses- Barleria cristata, Flemingia bracteata, Desmodium triflorum
Climbers- Vigna capensis, Combretum decandrum, Vitis paniculatum

Moist tropical deciduous forest ecosystem with Teak as a dominant species

Top Canopy- Tectona grandis, Pterocarpus marsupium, Diospyros melanoxylon,
Middle storey- Buchanania lanzan, Albizia lebbeck, Bauhinia variegata
Shrub layer- Flemingia rugosus, Vitex negundo, Nyctanthus arbortristris, Zizyphus mauritiana
Herbs and grasses- Desmodium triflorum, Crotolaria juncea, Bothriochloa pertusa,
Climbers- Pueraria phaseoloides, Asparagus racemosus

Tropical dry decuduous forest ecosystem with Sal as a dominant species

Top canopy – Shorea robusta, Diospros melanoxylon, Putranjiva roxburghii,
Middle storey – Erythrina indica, Cassia fistula, Albizia sp., Sterculia urens
Shrub layer – Carissa spinarum, Zizyphus oenoplea, Nyctanthus arbortristris
Herbs & Grasses – Chloris, Eragrostis, Fimbristylis ferruginea, Indigofera tinctoria,
Climbers – Smilax zeylanica, , Clittoria turnatea, Marsidenia, Cocculus hirsutus

Tropical Dry Deciduous forest with Teak as a dominant species

Top Canopy – Tectona grandis, Butea monosperma, Sterculia urens, Terminalia chebula,
Middle storey – Emblica officinalis, Bauhina variegata, Cochlospermum religiosum
Shrub layer – Gardenia turgida, Randia dumetorum, Grewia asiatica
Herbs & Grasses – Barleria prionitis, Bothriochloa pertusa, Dicanthium Hetropogo
Climbers – Abrus pulchellus, Cocculus hirsutus

Tropical thorn forest

Top Canopy- Acacia sp., Prosopis cineraria, Anogeissus pendula
Underwoods- Zizyphus mauritiana, Maytenus emarginatus, Wrightia
Herbs and Grasses- Vicovestata, Vico auriculata, Desmostachya bipinnata,
Climbers- Valletia, Leptochloa fusca, Tinospora cordifolia

Scrub jungle
Top Canopy- Acacia catechu, A. senegal, A. leucophloea
Underwoods- Euphorbia neriifolia, Cassia auriculata, Maetenus emarginatus
Herbs- Tephrosia purpurea, Justicia simplex, Cyperus rotundus, Eragrostis tenella
Climbers – Cocculus laurifolius, Rhynchosia minima
The Wetlands
The YBP phase I has two wetlands, located on an inactive flood plain while phase II has a larger
wetland spread out over an area of approximately 100 acres in an active floodplain. In phase I,
the narrow shallow wetland (approx 1.8 km), has been drenched in the form of a little river that
stretches throughout the whole length of phase I. The other wetland called the deep wetland
(approx 7 acres), is located along the north-western boundary of phase I. The wetland in phase
II being located on the active flood plain receives flood water from the Yamuna River nearby.
This is a deep wetland being developed along with a mosaic of marshes, swamps and
grasslands.
These wetlands provide a habitat to numerous species of submerged, emergent and floating
vegetation type plants. A few important examples may include, species of Vallisneria, Hydrilla,
Potamogeton (Submerged), Salvinia and Azolla (floating – limnetic zone), Nymphaea (water lily)
and Nelumbo (Lotus) (Floating – Littoral zone), Phragmites and Typha (emergent), and trees
such as Tamarix. These plants are adapted to specific conditions of soil and water provided by
wetland ecosystems.
The wetlands are home to about seventy species of water birds including waders, cranes-
storks, ducks and divers. Big flocks of migratory birds make their way to these wetlands every
winter in search of ideal habitats. Little and Indian Cormorants, Darters, Herons, Egrets and
some ducks like Spot-Billed Duck and Common Moorhen reside in and around these wetlands
throughout the year. The island mounds act as roosting and resting place for these birds. Great
Cormorants, Common Pochard, Red-Crested Pochards, Large Crested Grebe, Tufted Pochard,
Common Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shovler, Northern Pintail, Comb Duck, Gadwalls,
Grey Leg Goose, Ferruginous Pochard, Eurasian Coots and other migratory birds from Siberia,
Europe, China, Ladakh and other colder regions which fly to tropical regions for food and shelter
also make their way to these wetlands every winter. YBP is the only destination in and around
Delhi, where the Red-Crested Pochard makes a winter home. This recuperation of natural
habitat in the park is motivating many species to come back to areas that they had formerly
inhabited but had not been sighted in for a long time. Darter, a near threatened species, legally
protected under the schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 had historically
been a breeding resident of Delhi but it was not until 2006 that it began breeding again in the
region after a period of disappearance (Niangthianhoi and Khudsar, 2015). Similarly, other
water birds such as the White-breasted waterhen, Purple Swamphen, Herons, Egrets and
ducks, also breed in the YBP. This was made possible by the restoration of the Tamarix-
Phragmites forest alongside the wetlands that is a characteristic of the Yamuna river basin. This
forest grows only on hydric soils, thus being specifically associated with wetlands. The forest
also provides a proper cover to these water birds for building nests. Similarly, many species,
such as the Black Crowned Night Heron and Seiboldi’s Water Snake had not been seen in the
once glorious Yamuna plain in the Delhi region for decades. The Black Crowned Night Heron
builds its nests in dense Phragmites-Tamarix forests. Due to the loss of its habitat, this bird had
migrated to nearby states. In 2013, after many years, thousands of these birds were seen
nesting in phase I of the YBP park. Similarly, in phase II, the Seiboldi’s Water snake, a mildly
venomous water snake, has been observed breeding successfully after nearly seventy five
years of absence from the Delhi region. With the restoration of these critical ecosystems, many
species that Delhi had supposedly lost, have started finding their way back into the megacity.
These wetlands were made ecologically functional by introducing plants such as Vallisneria,
Hydrilla, Potemageton, Salvinia and Azolla. These species formed the primary level of the food
chain. Fish such as Rohu, Mirgal and Catla were also introduced initially to sustain the newly
established ecosystem. Salvinia and Azolla were the major plants that attracted herbivorous
ducks initially. Cormorants and Darters followed the fish and fingerlings. Today, these wetlands
are fully operational ecologically.
From an ecological point of view, the YBP can be called an assemblage of plant species of the
Yamuna river basin arranged into biological communities. Sightings of mammals such as Indian
Hare, Porcupine, Civet, Wild Pig, snakes such as Indian Cobra, Wolf Snake, Krait with six other
species, turtles, amphibians as well as many species of birds and fish, indicates that the park
today has achieved threshold habitat health, assisted and in many cases promoted by the
wetlands here.
A living book and a living laboratory
YBP is a unique model of ecological restoration that provides an opportunity for alternative
methods of learning about our environment. Various principles of ecological restoration read in
books have been applied here practically. A unique field experience provided by Nature
Education Officers (NEOs) and scientists benefits many students and wildlife enthusiasts. It has
also become a life sciences research hotspot among research scholars. The park organizes
various events on important days associated with environmental awareness, such as World
Wetlands Day, Earth Day, World Environment Day and others.
Yamuna Biodiversity Park is thus a living laboratory where scientific experimentation has done
wonders. Once a barren place where nothing grew, the park is now full of life which can be
heard in the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves.
 CCC704: Field Study Tour & Reporting
(1 Credit)
v Visit a local area to document environmental problems in forest, grassland, wet lands, agriculture
fields, hill or mountain.
v Visit a local polluted site in an urban, rural, industrial or agricultural environment – Industrial
area, Waste disposal- landfill site
v Study biodiversity -common plants, animals, insects and birds and their habitat, different
ecosystems – Biodiversity Park, Bird Sanctuary – Visit to Yamuna Biodiversity Park
v Study simple ecosystems such as forest types on different mounds, , ponds, rivers and hill slopes
– Wetlands, Forests

v Prepare an illustrated Report Word processed on Field Study Tour and submit within 15
days of the visit. In case the submission date happens to be Sat/or Sunday, the Report
MUST be submitted the following Monday. Late submission will not be entertained; Marks
will be deducted.

v No marks will be given for copying the Reports or in case of plagiarism is detected
and the matter will be reported to Dean and Controller of Examination.

Dear Students,

• Please read the following instructions carefully for the visit to the environmental
site.
• You must wear full sleeve shirts, sport shoes (NO CHAPPALS), and full pants,
This is for Protection from mosquitoes.
• Please be punctual in boarding the bus at scheduled time. If you miss the BUS it
would not be possible to accommodate you in any other Batch.
• After the visit prepare a Report in hard copy form as per the FORMAT and
submit within 15 days.

Travel Arrangements and Instructions

1. Travel arrangements will be made by the University
2. Board the Bus before the designated time of departure of the Bus.
3. Mark your attendance in the sheet before leaving on the Study Tour
4. Behave with dignity and due respect with the officials of the Park and faculty
accompanying and take interest in the explanations/details/demonstrations being given.
5. Carry your camera, Note Book, etc. for taking notes and pictures.
 6. Take pictures/photographs of different components in the Park and get the identification
of plants, insects, butterfly, bird, etc. done by the Park officials.
7. Before leaving the Park again mark your attendance in the BUS.
8. The Bus will take you back to the University; no drop off on the way will be allowed
unless permitted by the Warden.

Format for the Report

While preparing the Report follow the following formatting.
1. Title Page (Main title of the Field Report, Name, ID, Date of Visit, Date report submitted (16/14 points
Times Roman Bold)
2. Content with pagination (14 points Times Roman); all the pages should be serially numbered.
3. Introduction: History of the place of visit, Map, background, characteristics, Itinerary (12 points
Times Roman). It should contain the itinerary of the trip, interactions with the staff, etc.
4. Observations: Headings/Subheadings Bold 12 points Times Roman; Text 12 points not Bold New
Times Roman): Give an account what did you see/observe – themes, ecosystems with illustrations.
5. Discussion: Lessons learnt, your opinion on how useful was the visit from eco-restoration, and
biodiversity conservation point of view (Text 12 points not Bold New Times Roman)
6. References: Numbered full citation, website, etc. (Text 10 points not Bold New Times Roman)
Give illustrations at appropriate places- photographs with captions, graphs, histograms in colour/B/W
– mention the credit- whether yours or somebody else's illustration and source.

If the Reports are not in the above format marks will be deducted
appropriately.
If two or more Reports are found copied/ similar all the Reports will be given
ZERO MARK.
Submit your Report/Assignment through the Blackboard giving your Roll
No._Name as the file name
Dr Jyoti K Sharma
Professor