Aravalli Biodiversity Park : How a sand mine was restored to a 350 acre forest

This is the story of Aravalli Biodiversity Park, a forest of over 350 acres which was an erstwhile sand mine. With the efforts of hundreds of citizens, an NGO called IAmGurgaon and a determined ecologist by the name of Vijay Dhasmana the land is now home to hundreds of species of local flora and fauna. It is also a significant contributor to the National Capital Region's demand for oxygen. But why is this place called a 'biodiversity park'? Why was it made so instead of a public park with trimmed hedges and beautiful foreign plant species? Watch this feature to find out more.
CREDITS
Executive Producer : Arnab Dutta
Managing Producer : Joel Michael
Shoot, Edit and Narration : Aishwarya Iyer
Graphics : Sunny Gautam
Additional Photographs : Sanctuary Nature Foundation and Vijay Dhasmana
We thank Vijay Dhasmana and Latika Thukral from IAmGurgaon for giving us their valuable time for this story.

[@vijiravin]

Its good to know there are those in India who are not always thinking about only themselves but about nature. What a wonderful work. Kudos to the team.

[@vijdhasmana]

Thank you

[@chiluxr250]

Always keep fighting for the Forests. Let's Petition for a Central park in Delhi a park which covers whole delhi like a circle. Let's do it guys!

[@aatikasiddiqui2186]

The work which you guys are doing in restoring and in maintaining balance such historic ecosystems is absolutely relieving in such times of need for urgent actions for slowing down climate change.

[@manandholakia9023]

Thanks to you guys. You are restoring the Earth.

[@vijdhasmana]

Thank you

[@himanshusingh5214]

This is actually something worth fighting for.

[@himanshusingh5214]

But I also support Aarey car shed, bullet trains all over the country, elevated metro trains, railways in the Himalayas (but not highways except for the army), Vizhinjam port, and some other mega ports to have a total national capacity comparable to Shanghai port.

[@p.iabhivyakti9641]

You both are the modern saint _Sanyasi , who care for the Earth 🌍.......🙏🙏

[@pakajni]

This is so heartwarming. Take a bow for selfless effort you are putting for rejuvenating the life.

[@Parkrdz]

Its good for morning/evening walk for people of all ages, but imo natural trail feels better than a paved artificial road in the middle of nature.

[@ourworld86]

There is widespread encroachment going on in this park. I go for walk here. I see with my eyes how slowly trees are being cut and land is being encroached upon.

[@archasvityagi9997]

In 2013 I went to Dehradun. From the start point of siwaliks in Mohand to across the hill there was rich flora on both sides of road and on slopes . But after about 5 years, last week I have observed that almost all the plants which were present on road side have become lost due to construction of new large bridges and widening of road ( now looks like a highway). It is very difficult to identify plants near highway due to dust pollution

[@elite450]

its a dehradun expressway..nearly 2000 trees wiil get cut down throughout the entire the length of the expressway. but in return around 1 lakh + trees will be planted to compensate these. i bet you didnt know this.. moreover the carbon emission its gonna save through fuel savings will be even more than what a million trees could have saved... i also bet you didnt knew this. and this makes you a part of the problem. you will be blindly opposing the infrastructure without even knowing the details about the environmental impact.

[@narasimha7187]

This is a joke. Encroachment is EVERYWHERE!

[@archasvityagi9997]

@@elite450 ecological restoration can not be done in months or years. It is very long natural process. Artificial attempts are not effective for centuries. Nature finds its way itself.

[@kingnole4237]

​@@elite450 bjp andh bhakt spotted

[@Visbalalam]

@@elite450 or you can just build fast rail!

[@SunilKumar-dm8iu]

Expansion is necessary for nature, not for humans, so there is no need to build houses by cutting forests. Neither the expansion of agriculture by clearing the bushes is necessary that humans should limit their needs, and humans should always remember their limits. That nature has never been its slave. The tolerance of nature should not be understood as its weakness.

[@abhilashsundaram2432]

This looks like an excerpt out of Determinist and Malthusian literature.

[@sidgupta426]

True! But our country is run by a bunch of uneducated rats.

[@roshanmathew9443]

@@sidgupta426 how much do u save for banks who print n print coz people don't spend money the more u save the less pople can have thr needs fulfilled esp food provide 5kg rice to those who don't ie 100rs and u will make a difference a month not everyday just 100rs a month to those who don't have

[@arbitachakraborty1637]

Completely agree

[@pranavnair2616]

Such stories are inspirational

[@subhashkumar3484]

Great efforts... we all praise with humbleness

[@DeepakPandey-mf9ue]

Sweet memories in those Cliff like short mountains, More power to you guys. Wish could help and learn working in those woods

[@Amuzic_Earth]

Kudos to the guys. That guy's passion and knowledge showed. Just want to mention I have a strong dislike for carefully curated parks and such, those looks artificial, but parks such as these are actually a simulated forests, which are both useful and as he said, is an ecosystem in and of itself and looks good too.

[@nagabhushana1150]

Excellent work!

[@vishnugujarati1992]

Very good effort 👍

[@deepakpratapgangwar583]

We need biodiversity park in every district

[@ronward3949]

Sand is an important component of productive soils, seen sometimes as nutrient poor, dune colonizers of Native Species use various reproductive strategies to live, thrive and adapt there such as the Native Fragaria species which utilize stolons for vegetative reproduction. Dune grasses of Native Poaceae could be sought or found.

[@suanneihsial3356]

this is a noble guest.. selfless people

[@tiwariji3763]

thank you to improve our understanding about nature please also make video on soil health

[@hemanthk4075]

Great work!

[@Advait_thakur]

Great job to restore biodiversity

[@lubnashahid1012]

surrealllll after watching ittt,.....

[@allandsouza2288]

Ek number

[@hx5159]

Inspirational effort!! Keep it up!

[@PeepalBaba-Givemetrees]

Wonderful work

[@snehgerberafarms1474]

Wonderful

[@ronyraja5329]

Good job guys ❤️

[@palakaran]

dhanywad ... from mathew joseph, govindpuri extension, kalkaji.

[@aamirhussain.]

If u vll say this bioderversity park..beleive me..kashmir is itself a bioderversity park😅💚💚

[@bdesarkar2126]

Bravo....

[@Kizkoz1989.]

Appreciate your efforts....go on 👏👏👏👏.try Miyawaki also 👏👏👏🙏

[@354sd]

Good news for a change

[@prakashmahto9365]

6:19 lantana canbara we call it putus ka phool locally we use to make bullet ans pen shell as berrel for gun and play..those memories ❤️ love those days man

[@siddheshkinhekar4290]

❤👏

[@ronward3949]

Understanding the underlying strata, does give an advantage to use this rewilding Opportunity to seek the best recruitment of various Plant Associations based from Relevees or groups of similar habitat variables, that could be micro-and macro Sited to deliver continuity to full bank channel, rewild flood plains of riverine systems, create factors of manifesting various successional layers of Vegetation as overhead canopy or Forest composition, Deciduous, Conifers, and important herbaceous and lateral forms of cover and or use of sunlight. Groups such as Typhus, Poaceae, Sedges, Cattails, as to wise nutrient cycling, water conservation, site vitality for selection and broadly working from those cornerstones ecologically.

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@roshanmathew9443]

Put fruiting trees including mango papaya pineapple etc

[@sanskratiparmar4152]

🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴

[@hemant5374]

i had planted a tree there when i was in school

[@DhanushWali]

#savesoil and #rallyforrivers are also based on the same idea 💡

[@briju0953]

Using STP treated water for irrigation was a well better idea

[@gouravsahoo667]

What is the issue with invasive species????aren't they useful in soil erosion conservation or they are not sequestering CARBON...

[@justchillin_]

Why not build a flyover

[@ranadeep7462]

0:26 nawed 1:09

[@rajesh29rangan]

Sanjay Gandhi national park in Mumbai also needs to be conserved

[@Dd_12348]

Antinatlisam is also solution for this problem.

[@juniorthegsd6129]

I want to join the🙏🙏🙏

[@SankatMochan_]

Its not a proper forest like the aarey of Mumbai but yes it is still better considering the Maharashtra government corruption encroachment by real estate and film city

[@ourworld86]

Haryana govt is no better.....it has killed almost most of the Aravalli range....which was very very beatiful. Its quite sad how greed and real estate have destroyed it.

[@prashantkumarsingh285]

Sanjay Gandhi national park of Gurgaon

[@Upsc_path_finder]

No need road like this

[@rajesh29rangan]

While this is commendable one also needs to take care of forests which are not necessarily near huge cities.

[@raghavendranmouli9964]

BGM is irritating, use only where necessary

[@forefatherofmankind3305]

Stupid music is too loud ! Can’t even listen to the interviewees ! 😡😡😡

[@prashantvicky]

1:41 The water has turned toxic green. What kind of park is this Lol

[@north_indian_pajeet_rendian_mc]

What a good news 😍😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩😍🤩🤩🤩😍🤩🤩😍🤩😍🤩🤩🤩😍🤩🤩😍🤩🤩🤩😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘 Made my day ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[@WHISPERER007]

Just visited today...very sad state...trekking path has lot of garbage and plastic and the hills are being destroyed to build apartments...completely idiots...gurugram and delhi will enjoy sandstorms soon

[@theclub9767]

Please save Indian Forest

[@ankurchh]

but when you visit here personally reality is Little different..... gurgaon itself constructed on aravalli......so they just pretending to be saviour but actually they are the one who exploited.