VISAKHAPATNAM: The Natural History Park, Museum and Research Institute (NHPM&RI), to come up on 15 acres at Kapuluppada at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore, will have unique features, said Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) Commissioner P Koteswara Rao.
Speaking to TNIE, the commissioner said there will be a biodiversity park, where exotic plants from six continents will be on display. The weather conditions of the respective continents will be recreated for the plants to sustain.
For example, the ecosystem of Amazon forest will be recreated for flora and fauna procured from there. Similarly, the ecosystem for other plant species procured from other continents will be recreated. Bio domes will be created for different ecosystems, he added.
Stating that the NHPM & RI will be the first-of-its-kind museum in the country, he said the detailed project report (DPR) will be ready in two to three months.
“There will be a fossil park with fossils of dinosaurs procured from various parts of the globe. We have to procure dinosaur fossils from the UK and other countries. They have to be procured on the basis of bilateral trade agreement with those countries. There will be a gallery explaining the evolution of humankind. There will be another gallery, which deals with the geology of earth, its resources such as rocks, minerals, gems, diamonds,’’ Koteswara Rao explained.
The Natural History Society of India is coordinating the preparation of the DPR for the project. Several experts and IIT professors are also involved in the preparation of DPR for the theme-based museum and research institute.