The most common casualty in urban development are the trees. At times, heritage trees as old as hundred years are felled to make way for construction of buildings. Waterbodies and green covers are not spared, too. Forest areas are replaced with urban concrete jungles. However, two cities in Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal and Indore, are now taking steps for conserving their rich biodiversity by opting for sustainable urban development. In conversation with Indian Masterminds, Member Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Biodiversity Board, Mr. Dharmendra Verma (IFS) explained the concept of sustainable smart city development and, also, informed that they have adopted a biodiversity index to guide them in planning such development.
CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX
City biodiversity includes the variety and richness of living organisms and habitats found in and on the edge of human settlements, including remnants of natural landscapes and traditional agricultural lands.
Mr. Dharmendra Verma said, “Bhopal and Indore are very special in terms of their rich biodiversity. Urban development can’t be imagined without the proper conservation of biodiversity. We are preparing a biodiversity index with the help of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India. This will guide us in terms of planning for smart city development. It will be proven as a useful tool to get to know how to take care of waterbodies, birds, greenery, animals etc.”
ROOTS OF BIODIVERSITY INDEX
In 2010, the 193 Parties (192 national governments and the European Union), who were signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted a decision at the tenth meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties in Nagoya, Japan. This momentous decision supports and recognizes the critical roles that local governments play in reducing biodiversity loss and improving ecosystem management. Adoption of the decision also meant endorsement of a ‘Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2010-2020)”.
A SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL
While highlighting the importance of the City Biodiversity Index (CBI),Mr. Verma said, “It is like one of the tools that enable city administrators to manage and measure their biodiversity. We are preparing the city biodiversity index on 23 parameters and three prime components, including Native Biodiversity in the City having 40 points, Ecosystem Services provided by Biodiversity having 16 points, and Governance and Management of Biodiversity that has 36 points.” The index has a sum of 92 points in various categories.
The CBI is also known as the Singapore Index on Cities Biodiversity. It is a self-assessment tool that has been used by 50 cities across the globe. The development of the index was led by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) in partnership with Singapore and the Global Partnership on Local and Sub-national Action for Biodiversity.
Recently, this model has been adopted by six cities of India, including Gangtok, Kochi, Dehradun, Pune, Faridabad and Raipur.
PARAMETERS FOR ASSESSMENT
Mr. Verma informed that “there are around 23 parameters having four points each, and the data of Bhopal have been sent to Dehradun for further findings.” The data have been prepared with the help of institutions working in the field of biodiversity, such as Municipal Corporation, Bhoj Wetland Board, Bhopal Birds, Horticulture Department, CPA and Van Vibhag.
The ranking is based on different parameters like natural biological resources in the area, connectivity measures, water sources, park and natural areas, number of bird species, number of butterflies, number of plants and biodiversity projects conducted in the city, budget allocated to biodiversity, etc.
SMART CITIES’ EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT
The concept of smart cities has resulted in deforestation. The city of Bhopal, that is known for its forest cover, is also witnessing loss of its greenery. In about 20 to 25 years, due to projects like BRTS corridor, Metro, and now Smart City, the proportion of its natural area has decreased.
However, applying City Biodiversity Index, efforts are now on to save the green cover of the city. A smart city that was confirmed to be developed in Shivaji Nagar was later shifted to TT Nagar to save the forest cover. A welcome step that shows the inclination of administrative authorities towards environment-friendly city development approach.
