New Delhi   

Nature trail in concrete jungle

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

A NEW TRAIL: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurating `Nature Trail' at her residence on Friday. Photo: Anu Pushkarna

NEW DELHI: An "Interpretative Nature Trail" was set up at the 3 Motilal Nehru Marg residence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday to provide an opportunity to a large number of school children to see the varied flora and fauna and enjoy the green environment. This, Ms. Dikshit hoped, would also inculcate a sense of discovery in the students and motivate them to take up further enquiry, enabling them to contribute in overcoming grave problems relating to a deteriorating environment. During their visits to the place, school children will also be able to feel and watch different colours of nature. Set up by the World Wide Fund for Nature-India Secretariat under the Green School Education Programme, the Nature Trail seeks to help children in developing an awareness and appreciation of the area and, in a large sense, a sensitivity towards nature and its forms.

Having thrown open the lawns of her house to children, Ms. Dikshit exhorted them to affectionately protect nature to ensure a better future for Delhi. She expressed satisfaction that a nature trail for children has been commissioned just in the midst of a city that is generally described as a jungle of concrete. The nature trail and visitor centre have been set up in the lush green residential bungalow, which has scenic beauty, exotic and indigenous trees like Imli, Neem and Babul and provides habitat to bats, birds, reptiles and small mammals.

The trail winds around the bungalow and passes around the Terminalia Arjuna tree with hanging fruit bats. There exist 59 species of birds that live in close harmony with one another. A pond has also been developed to highlight a crystal-clear picture of life on water through its fish and turtles. This would help children get acquainted with the natural environment and realise the importance of birds and animals.

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