Urban Biodiversity

• About:Urban Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms) found within cities and urban areas.
  • It includes all life forms in human-dominated environments, such as parks, gardens, green roofs, wetlands, and built structures. 
• Key Components:
  • Green spaces: Parks, gardens, green belts, lawns, roadside trees. 
  • Blue spaces: Lakes, rivers, canals, ponds, wetlands. 
  • Built structures: Walls, roofs, and abandoned buildings that provide habitats (e.g., bats in attics, birds nesting on buildings). 
  • Wildlife corridors: Paths that allow animals to move between green patches (e.g., tree-lined streets) 
• Prominent Examples:
  • Wetlands within cities, e.g., the Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Delhi, Varthur Lake in Bengaluru. 
  • Urban forests and biodiversity parks, e.g., the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai.  
  • Rivers and lakes passing through cities, supporting aquatic biodiversity (e.g., In Pune, the Mutha and Mula rivers demonstrate high biodiversity, with many freshwater invertebrate species). 

What is the Significance of Urban Biodiversity Conservation for India? 

• Mitigating Climate Change & Pollution: Urban green spaces reduce urban heat island effect e.g., Frankfurt’s green belts lowered temperatures by 3.5°C. 
  • Trees sequester carbon, filter air pollutants, and reduce noise pollution (a 10m-wide tree line cuts noise by 5 decibels). 
  • Wetlands and urban forests help in flood control and groundwater recharge. 
• Health & Well-being Benefits:Parks and green spaces offer a vital escape from “concrete jungles,” enhancing mental health, reducing stress, and providing recreational opportunities, while also supporting important pollinators like bees and butterflies that help secure food supply.
  • E.g., Green walls shield Delhi from the hot desert winds blowing in from Rajasthan to the west. 
• Economic Benefits: Urban trees in mega cities deliver ecosystem services valued at Rs 8 crore per sq. km annually, including air purification, temperature moderation, stormwater management, and aesthetic benefits.
  • Proximity to parks and water bodies also raises property values, boosting local economies. 
• Global Commitments: The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 12 emphasizes integrating green and blue spaces into urban planning.
  • The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) highlights the need to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. 

What are the Key Issues Affecting Urban Biodiversity in India? 

• Rising Urban Sprawl: In 2025, nearly 50% of the global population lives in urban areas, projected to reach 70% by 2050 pressurising natural green spaces.
  • The Forest Survey of India (2023) shows major cities have an average forest cover of just 10.26%, with Mumbai highest at 25.43% and Ahmedabad lowest at 3.27%. 
  • From 2021 to 2023, Chennai and Hyderabad lost 2.6 and 1.6 sq. km of forest, reflecting urban growth at the expense of biodiversity. 
• Heat Island Effect: Concrete-dominated cities like Delhi are 4–6°C hotter than rural areas, stressing urban wildlife.
  • The surface urban heat island effect drives birds to suburban areas, impacting their breeding and foraging. 
• Loss of Urban Wetlands & Water Bodies: The East Kolkata Wetlands, a Ramsar site, are under increasing threat from encroachment, endangering critical habitats for migratory birds such as the Northern Pintail.
  • Alarmingly, just 15% of Chennai’s wetlands survive today—a steep drop from 80% in earlier decades when the city’s urban footprint was much smaller. 
• Pollution: Urban pollution—air, water, soil, and noise—harms biodiversity by disrupting animal health, communication, and ecosystems, as seen in Delhi’s toxic air and Bangalore’s polluted Bellandur Lake.

What Measures can be Adopted to Enhance Urban Biodiversity in India?   

• Promoting Green Infrastructure: Promoting green infrastructure like parks, urban forests, wetlands, and green roofs boosts urban biodiversity and climate resilience.
  • Adopting UN Habitat’s 3-30-300 Rule—3 trees in view, 30% canopy cover, and parks within 300m—enhances ecosystem services, cools cities, and supports wildlife.   
• Development of City Biodiversity Index: The City Biodiversity Index, currently implemented in states like Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, assesses native species, ecosystem services, and governance to help cities create Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (LBSAPs) for conservation and enhanced human well-being, and should be expanded to all major Indian cities in a phased manner.
  • The International Council for Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI) Asia developed a City Biodiversity Index using 23 indicators for cities like Kochi, Gangtok, and Nagpur. 
• Restore and Protect Urban Water Bodies: There is an urgent need to manage garbage dumping and treat sewage pollution in urban lakes using conventional or nature-based solutions, alongside legal protection to prevent further loss of lakes and wetlands.
  • E.g., The Madras Race Club land at Guindy is being transformed into a lake to enhance groundwater recharge, while the Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai—once a wasteland and garbage dump—has been partly restored and declared a reserved forest and Ramsar site. 
• Decentralized Greening: Decentralized greening empowers communities through pocket parks, gardens, and street trees, boosting local biodiversity.
  • E.g.,Chennai’s Koyambedu market project 2021 regenerated 141 plant species and attracted key bird and butterfly species, outperforming the Miyawaki method by mimicking a natural three-layered forest on small urban lands. 
• Integrating Biodiversity into Urban Planning: Enhancing urban biodiversity in India requires integrating biodiversity into urban planning through mandatory impact assessments and city-level action plans with green corridors and habitat connectivity.
  • Strict penalties and enforcement are needed to prevent environmental violations and ensure sustainable urban growth. 
  • The Supreme Court of India’s firm action against the mass tree destruction in Hyderabad’s Kancha Gachibowli area for IT development sets a key precedent for urban biodiversity protection.