3,800ha forest land to be restored in Aravali conservation project: Govt

Gurgaon: The Haryana government is planning to restore 3,800 hectares of forest land from Gurgaon to

Nuh

under the Aravalis conservation project that aims to replenish the rich ecosystems of the mountain range.The project, presented to the

Union

environment minister Bhupender Yadav and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar earlier this week, envisions work over the next 7 years to reinstate loss of habitat for the region’s wildlife and vegetation.“Had a productive brainstorming session in Gurgaon with CM of Haryana and senior officers on the proposal to conserve Aravallis and create a wildlife safari. The project has huge potential to generate livelihood opportunities for the locals,” Yadav tweeted on Thursday.

Safaris

, assessment of local vegetation and wildlife, and water harvesting units are part of the proposal approved by the Haryana government and the Union environment ministry, state forest officials said on Friday.“An expression of interest will be invited for a detailed project report of this project. It will be a conservation zone with the wildlife safari that will be spread across Gurgaon and Nuh,” said a senior forest official.The project is significant as the Aravalis have seen multiple transgressions such as illegal construction and mining since the 1990s due to their proximity to the densely populated urban cluster of Gurgaon and neighbouring areas.Adding to it, the forested area — host to endangered animals, including leopards — has been fragmented due to construction of roads and the increase in traffic. The number of wildlife road kills has gone up during the last decade as have the number of human-wildlife conflict incidents. The forests are also degrading because of pressure from unchecked fuel-wood collection and grazing."The Gurgaon Aravali hills possess numerous cliffs and hills covered with forest, which provide habitat to numerous endangered mammal and bird species typical of the dry forests as thus the plan for restoring the habitat is an ideal step for the entire ecology," said a second forest official. Mammals such as the striped hyena, ruddy mongoose, palm civet, golden jackal and honey badger have been spotted here.When asked about the proposal, environmentalist

Vivek Kamboj

said: “These forests represent one of the few green areas in Gurgaon and provide an important flow of ecosystem services to the densely populated city, thus Aravali needs conservation.”
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