GURGAON: The concrete jungles of millennium city Gurgaon will soon be home to a butterfly park and a goraiya breeding centre. The forest department has identified a location in Sector 52 and earmarked 19 acres land for the butterfly park and 588 acres land surrounded by 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, Kassia Fistula, Harsingar, Bell, Morus Alba, Capparis and many more which are useful for butterfly will be planted," Conservator of Forest in Gurgaon range, MD Sinha said.
Butterflies have natural tendency to deliver eggs on some trees while they use some trees and its flowers to get nourishment, he said. Sinha pointed out that the Haryana forest department is carrying out a campaign "connecting people with nature" and butterfly is very important for maintaining ecological system. Rapid urbanisation of Gurgaon has harmed 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 sneak out. Blue tiger, enbetorse, pendent ledy, lime butterfly, red peerot, common morgen, and common mine are some of the varieties of butterflies that will be nurtured in the park. For Goraiya center, 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 acre land for nature care center where nature lovers can stay. The number of goraiyas have been gradually declining each year in the region.