Aravalli Biodiversity Park:
On World Wetlands Day, that is, on February 2, the Aravalli Biodiversity Park (Gurugram) was announced as the first Other Effective Area – based Conservation Measures site, OECM site.
- The OECM tag is provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN. According to IUCN, the OECM sites are not protected but are rich in biodiversity.
- The OECM areas were defined at the Convention on Biological Diversity that was held in 2018.
- The OECM tag does not bring any legal, financial or management implications, but designates the area as a biodiversity hotspot on the international map.
- Other effective area-based conservation measures(OECMS) is a conservation designation for areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas.
- The Aravalli Biodiversity Park is spread across 390 acres and has semi-arid vegetation, with around 300 native plants, 101,000 trees, 43,000 shrubs, and several species of birds.
- The Aravallis, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, are considered the green lungs of Delhi-NCR, a crucial water recharge zone for the region.
- They also support rich fauna, including leopards, sambhar, fox, jackals and palm civets among others.
