https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

No Guns, Only Flowers: Message from Baramulla

The North Circle of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department is investing in biodiversity and eco parks these days.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Not so long ago, Baramulla and Kupwara were in news for all the wrong reasons, as militants were quite active in these parts of Jammu & Kashmir. But now these places are slowly establishing an altogether different identity for themselves by actively pursuing environmental concerns and promoting community forest management with biodiversity and eco parks.

The North Circle of Jammu & Kashmir Forest department is developing one such biodiversity park at Venkara in Jhelum Valley Forest Division, Baramulla, for increasing forest awareness and encouraging conservation of flora, especially medicinal plants.

THE AIM

While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Conservator of Forest North Circle, Kashmir, Mr. Irfan Rasool said “In Baramulla, we have some grey areas where issues related to illicit timber and smuggling usually come up. There are several places in the district which have rich forest areas but are unexposed to the general public. Also, community participation is very less as they do not cooperate with forest department.”

Earth Day

Giving details about the objective of the project, he added, “The aim of the park is to create opportunities for exploration and conservation of medicinal herbs found in Kashmir which are on the verge of extinction. He added that the objective is to create hub within the natural forest area for imparting nature education and forest awareness to different stakeholders, especially school children. Eco-tourism activities will be also promoted through this initiative, which will create plenty of opportunities for livelihood for local communities.”

VENKARA PARK

The North Circle Range of Jammu & Kashmir Forest Department has already developed six eco parks at different locations – Montane Ecopark in Sopore, Kairewan Adventure Park in Lolab, Green Ecopark in Rafiabad, Nagriwari Periurban Park in Kupwara, Salambad S-5 Ecopark in Uri and Baderkali Camping Park. The Venkara Biodiversity Park is the latest edition and is almost ready for inauguration.

Medicinal plants

It has a section named ‘Herbal Vatika’, where more than 25 species of rare and threatened medicinal plants have been planted in beds. The park also has lavender grove, nature trail, open theatre, camping site, trekking route, viewpoint, wooden artifacts and various educational signages for the benefit of visitors.

Mr. Rasool further said, “There will be signages on every species of plant present in these eco parks to spread more and more information. In future, we are planning to keep Friday as the day for inviting school children to these parks and giving them a conducted tour around it.”

CREATING AWARENESS 

Apart from this, wooden artifacts showcasing the wildlife of Jammu and Kashmir, like Hangul, Markhor etc., will be displayed in the biodiversity parks to spread awareness about the wildlife specific to Kashmir.

The forest department is also planning to promote eco-tourism by inviting people for trekking. A trek route of around 25 kms is already ready for enthusiasts.

Trekking route

Through all these steps, the forest department is not only conserving the medicinal plants that are on the verge of extinction, but also helping in spreading awareness about Kashmir’s unique flora and fauna among the youth so that they know their state’s natural heritage well.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
babita-kaler iAS
Gunfire Over Land Dispute: FIR Registered Against IAS Babita Kaler & Husband Following PSO’s Shooting in Jalandhar - Full Details Inside
Indian Police Services IPS Officer
Champaran to Get 6 SPs: Bihar Govt Approves New IPS Posts to Ease Police Workload - Details Inside
IAS IPS
Marriage Brings Top Bureaucrats to Rajasthan: 6 IAS-IPS Officers, Including 4 Women, Shift Cadres in 5 Months - Full Details Inside
IFS Dhananjay Mohan
Uttarakhand’s Top Forest Officer IFS Dhananjay Mohan Takes Sudden VRS Amid Sapling Procurement Row; Samir Sinha Gets Addl Charg
IFS Kshitij Saxena
Who Is IFS Kshitij Saxena, Appointed as the New DFO (Territorial) of Gangtok, Sikkim?
CM Vishnu Deo Sai - resized
Chhattisgarh: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Launches Chief Minister Bus Service Scheme; Push for Connectivity and Development in Bastar and Surguja
CM Pushkar Dhami-resized
Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Unveils First Yoga Policy; Bhararisain to Emerge as Global Yoga Capital
IPS Laxmi Singh
UP: IPS Laxmi Singh, Commissioner of Gautam Budh Nagar Police, Cracks Down on Laxity, Suspends Officers over Crime Control Failures
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
Monika Singh
The Civil Servant Who Finds Peace in Poetry
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Ravinder Nandal IDES
IDES Ravinder Nandal's Story of Self-Made Success
Balancing fatherhood, full-time jobs, and six UPSC attempts, Ravinder Nandal’s story is one of perseverance,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
babita-kaler iAS
Gunfire Over Land Dispute: FIR Registered Against IAS Babita Kaler & Husband Following PSO’s Shooting in Jalandhar - Full Details Inside
Vishwajit Singh
From Bureaucrat to Ironman: Vishwajeet Singh Sheoran, Haryana’s First HCS Officer to Complete the Ironman, Redefines Greatness
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
Monika Singh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT