Gurgaon park to help revive sparrow population

Gurgaon: The concrete jungles of the millennium city, Gurgaon, will soon be home to a butterfly park and a goraiya (house sparrow) breeding centre. Sparrows have more or less vanished from the National Capital Region. 

The forest department has identified a location in Sector 52 and earmarked 19 acres of land for the butterfly park and 588 acres of land, surrounded by the Aravalli mountains in Bhondsi village, for the goraiya centre. An NGO has come forward to help the Haryana forest department in the development of the park.

“The earmarked area will have different varieties of over 150 trees. Trees such as curry leaves, lemon, palm, Cassia fistula, harsingar, bell, Morus alba, Capparis, etc., which are useful for butterflies, will be planted,” Mr MD Sinha, the conservator of forest in Gurugram range, said. 

Butterflies have a natural tendency to deliver eggs on some trees while they use some trees and its flowers to get nourishment, he added.

Mr Sinha pointed out that the Haryana forest department is carrying out a campaign, “connecting people with nature,” and the butterfly is very important for maintaining the ecological system. Rapid urbanisation of Gurugram has harmed the butterfly species and the park aims to restore the natural environment for them.

The forest department has allocated Rs 3 crore for the project, which will be spent in five years, to develop such a park. The park will have several domes and the entire area will be covered with fine iron gauge so that butterflies don’t fly out. Various species of butterflies will be nurtured in the park.

For the goraiya centre, the forest department has identified 2.5 acre land in Bharat Yatra Kendra for its breeding. The department has already developed a section of 588 acres of land for a nature care center where nature lovers can stay. It is to be noted that the number of goraiyas has been gradually declining each year in the region.