India's 1st Private Bio-diversity Park Soon Open
The country’s first private bio-diversity park will soon be opened to visitors in Coimbatore. “We plan to have a 1.5-kmlong forest trail for visitors, on which they can spot small animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and other invertebrates, as well as endemic plants. We have more than 120 species of birds that have made the park their home. There are migratory birds as well. There is a perennial river half a kilometre away,” V Kalaiarasan, a former Tamil Nadu forest department official at the Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park, explained, adding that the park was initially developed as an environment conservation project.The park will also have a herb garden with more than 100 species of herbs and information about their curative properties, a display of sixty species of threatened plants of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), a recreation centre, a canteen stocked with fresh farm produce, a nature shop, an amusement centre for children and an amphitheatre. The entry fee will range between Rs 25 and Rs 50. Authorities also plan to develop a pond. “The problem is that the park is situated in a valley. We have plans of having a small water body inside the park to attract animals and migratory birds to the park,” the official said.
