APSBB moots biodiversity parks in cites of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board creating urban parks to conserve biodiversity, enhance greenery, and mitigate urbanization effects.

The Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB) plans to create and develop biodiversity parks in urban areas of the state to make the cities greener and more liveable.

The idea germinated from the fact that urban areas have a higher and denser population than rural areas, hence the need to create a green belt as a lung space to conserve biodiversity.

A.P. State Biodiversity Board Chairman Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar has stressed the need to create a biodiversity park in Tirupati to compensate for the loss of scores of neem and babul trees that were once abundant in the Tirumala ranges.

“The spate of construction and development over the years has put pressure on the urban locales, which have been increasing at an alarming rate, hence the need to mitigate it. This is the same for any other city,” Mr. Vijay Kumar told the media here on Thursday.

The attempt involves bringing together local authorities, environmental NGOs, and eco-clubs to create an urban biodiversity park as a hub for education, conservation, and cultural activities.

“Various urban patches should be created across the cities to serve as the core buffer zones or nesting grounds for the birds displaced from their habitat due to urbanisation,” he added.

Tirupati will host a crucial meeting of an expert committee on red sanders on March 14 and 15. Representatives from the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and APSBB will discuss the auction of red sanders seized from smugglers, developing modalities for procuring red sanders from farmers who grow them on their farms, providing a rightful share from the auction proceeds to the stakeholders, and other related matters.