Greater Hyderabad is among just a handful cities from across the world that can boast of having a parks including Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, a protected area, in the middle of the city. Endemic flora of the Hyderabad region can be found here along with several species of mammals, over 130 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and 30 species of butterflies.
Addressing delegates at the Cities for Life City and Subnational Biodiversity Summit, the Mayor said that there are more than 1,000 water bodies distributed across the Greater Hyderabad area.
Besides that , as many as 150 Tree Parks are being established at a cost of Rs 27.5 million as green lung space. The GHMC is also planning to plant one lakh plants / medicinal plants for creating awareness.
The purpose of the Cities for Life Summit is to take stock of progress since Nagoya COP10, to outline the latest relevant tools and initiatives and to reiterate the importance of ecosystem services.
GHMC Commissioner M T Krishna Babu also took the opportunity to point out that Hyderabad became the first in India to have a City Biodiversity Index. The index is meant to be used as a self-assessment and monitoring tool in matters relating to biodiversity in urban areas.
The index has scored 36 of a possible 92 points in the City Biodiversity Index (CBI), also known as the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity. Chief Minister released the CBI at 'Cities for Life' at the summit. The CBI would be submitted for validation soon.
He also added that the GHMC would approach people aged between 80 and 100 years to collect data on what species of animals, plants and varieties of fish were found in the city during their childhood. The data would be documented and the authorities would initiate efforts for the revival of native biodiversity.