Context

• The Aravalli Biodiversity Park was declared India’s first “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECM) site on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.

About OECM Site

• The OECM tag is given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to areas that are not protected but support rich biodiversity. Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Gurugram has been notified as the first OECM site in the country.
• The OECM tag does not bring any legal, financial or management implications, but designates the area as a biodiversity hotspot on the international map.
• ‘Other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs) is a conservation designation for areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas.

About Aravalli Biodiversity Park

• The Aravalli Biodiversity Park is spread across 390 acres and has semi-arid vegetation, with around 300 native plants, 101,000 trees, 43,000 shrubs, and several species of birds.

  

• The park was transformed into a city forest from a 40-year-old mining site through the efforts of citizens, ecologists and scientists along with the help of the urban local body of Gurugram.
• The Aravallis, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, are considered the green lungs of Delhi-NCR, a crucial water recharge zone for the region.
• They also support rich fauna, including leopards, sambhar, fox, jackals and palm civets among others.
• The natural vegetation of the park falls within the Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest (including Anogeissus pendula and Boswellia forest edaphic sub-types) and Northern Tropical Thorn Forest types recognised by Champion and Seth.

Source: Hindustan times

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