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On a warm Wednesday afternoon, The Quint meets Dr Faiyaz Khudsar, Wildlife Biologist and Senior Scientist with the Biodiversity Parks Programme, CEMDE, University of Delhi, at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park.
When asked what drew him to the project, he points to a snail inching across the path, saying, "These are the little things that make me stay."
Dr Khudsar is the driving force behind turning the Yamuna Biodiversity Park from a barren wetland into a thriving ecosystem teeming with life. Ecological restoration goes far beyond plantation drives and tree planting, and through a walk in this park, he shows us why.
"We realised that there were Indian hares along the river Yamuna so we brought this (Sporobolus) grass (here), and it brought the Indian hares into the area. This is the way we added bit by bit to the food chain and ultimately to the food web. So the entire ecology was not only understood but also systematically planned."Dr Faiyaz Khudsar
From Wasteland to Ecological Paradise
Every shrub, tree, and rock at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park has been carefully planned and placed with a scientific approach and thoughtful intent to create a thriving, natural, self-sustaining ecosystem.
"It was my mentor, the legendary ecologist CR Babu, who first envisioned the concept of a biodiversity park. It was his idea, his dream. As his student, and as someone who grew up in Delhi, I felt I had a responsibility to carry it forward, to do something for this city I call home," says Dr Khudsar.
The Delhi Biodiversity Park is a joint initiative of the DDA and Delhi University. The flourishing forest we see today was once a patchwork of barren land and small farmlands where a few vegetables struggled to grow. The soil was highly sodic, making cultivation nearly impossible. In many places, water logging added to the problem, leaving the area as a degraded stretch of the Yamuna floodplain.
"A biodiversity park is a very unique concept given by Professor Babu, and it itself suggests that how in a small period of time of 7-10 years, you get a functional ecosystem established."Dr Faiyaz Khudsar
Dr Faiyaz explains that the project is ongoing, with no set end date.
"What we do is that we try to come to a stage where the system becomes functional, and it starts giving you ecological goods and services like water, air, and many other benefits. That is the point where we say, the ecosystem has become operational," he says.
'More Than a Green Space'
The biodiversity park—one of seven in Delhi developed on the same principles—is unlike most other green spaces in the city. While many parks are dominated by exotic species with only a sprinkling of native plants, this one is rooted in native ecology.
Dr Faiyaz says,
"This is the place where neither we are doing afforestation, nor reforestation or we're carrying out plantation. Instead, we are doing ecological restoration. "
"Establishing a forest community is not easy. It cannot be on the whim and fancy of an individual. Until you look at the ecological history of the site, and think you are a magician, it cannot be sustained," he adds.
Speaking of a moment that marked the success of their efforts, Dr Faiyaz recalls the time his team spotted a hog deer in the park.
The hog deer is a small species historically found in the Yamuna river basin but absent for decades.
“The Delhi Gazetteer of 1892–93 suggested that hog deer were once abundant. But over time, they completely disappeared. And then suddenly, to find that animal after so many years—it was a very exciting moment for all of us,” he says, adding, “It makes you feel that your interventions are moving in the right direction.”
Fighting Climate Change by Rebuilding Nature
Spotting a Silverbill (munia) attempting to nest in a tree, Dr Khudsar points out, "You can see how extreme weather patterns are altering their nesting behaviour. They won’t succeed because we still expect a lot of rain. The nesting process won’t be completed. It will collapse in the wet weather."
He goes on to say,
"The environment has been wiped out from the development matrix. The consequences are serious: air pollution, urban heat islands, groundwater depletion, rapid surface water runoff, and weaker climate-resilient structures. These are all problems in urban centres like Delhi."
So how can it be mitigated?
According to Dr Khudsar, the answer lies in restoring ecological processes—bringing back the systems that once existed naturally. “This is one of the key approaches to re-establishing balance,” he explains.
The biodiversity park is not only helpful in reducing the carbon footprint, but acts as a useful vegetation buffer that helps clean the air in the larger area. "The AQI gets reduced by 50 percent in the park," adds Dr Khudsar.
Planting trees is a start, sure, but restoring nature, rebuilding lost ecosystems, that's where the real impact lies. And places like the Yamuna Biodiversity Park show us what's possible. When we work with nature and not against it.
Watch the full video here.