DEHRADUN: India's first pollinators park, established in Haldwani area of Nainital district in Uttarakhand in an area of 4 acres, was opened to the public on Tuesday.
At present more than 40 pollinator species are found in the Haldwani pollinator park, which include various species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and other insects such as The Common Jezebel (Delias eucharis), Glassy bluebottle (Graphiumsarpedon), Red Peirrot (Telecadanyseus), Lime Butterfly (Papiliodimoleus) and many others.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who heads the research wing of the Uttarakhand forest department under whom the project was conceived said, "Objective of the park is to conserve various pollinator species, to create awareness among general public about importance and conservation of these species and to promote further research on various aspects of pollination, including threat to habitat and impact of pollution, use of pesticides/insecticides and relation between various pollinators and plant species."
Pollinators include bees, birds, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps, bats and some small mammals.
Peter Smetacek, founder of Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal, a conservationist and naturalist who inaugurated the park said, "The initiative is one of a kind in the country and will help in generating awareness among general public and how important pollination md pollinators are. Without those species the life on earth will come to an end."
In the pollinator park, various kinds of habitats have been created for various pollinators, including plantations of nectar and pollination producing plants, mostly local ones in clusters, like marigold, rose, hibiscus, jasmine for various honeybees and butterflies, bird and moth species and also host plants to provide shelter to eggs, larvae and pupa, like curry leaf plant, citrus species, cassia species and lantana have been planted.
Apart from these, seasonal flower plants like salvia, aster, cosmos for winter and sunflower, guinea for summers have been planted.
To attract bird and butterfly species, bird feeders and nests have been placed throughout park, with food grains and also certain cut fruits as some butterfly species are attracted to such cut fruits along with fruit trees like jamun and shelter trees like neem and semal, for bird species.
Water bodies have been created and arrangements have been made for mud puddling for butterflies. It helps them and other insects like leafhoppers seek out nutrients like salt and amino acids from moist substances.
Dead and dry trees have been left as it is, in the pollinator park, because these are important habitats for pollinators.
Endemic species of honeybee Apiscerana indica, has also been reared in the Haldwani pollinator park, whose number has declined considerably in recent years because of various threats like pollution, use of pesticides/insecticides and dominance of European species in honey production in India, added Chaturvedi.
Use of all type of chemicals, including pesticides and insecticides, have been ceased in the park and neighbouring areaw.
In USA and western countries, importance of pollinators was recognized long back and to conserve pollinators, pollinator parks, gardens, strips and pathways were created on large scale and campaigns were also launched and in year 2015 and 2017, legislative measures were also taken in USA.
"Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination for which they need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species. Without them, existing populations of plants would decline, even if soil, air, nutrients, and other life-sustaining elements were available," said Chaturvedi.
Pollinators affect 35% of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87% of the leading food crops worldwide, and thus forming basis of our life.