Biodiversity Parks

Biodiversity Parks

A biodiversity park is different in character from a botanical garden or a zoo. Rather than being a curated collection of individually labelled plants or caged animals, it is an ecological assemblage of many species that together form a self-sustaining community, deliberately established on land that was previously degraded or barren. The goal is ecological restoration of a whole habitat, not just the display of individual specimens.

A notable Maharashtra example is the Late Uttamrao Patil Biodiversity Park at Gureghar, Mahabaleshwar — considered one of the best models in the state for conserving natural heritage within an otherwise urbanised landscape.