Kerala can soon boast a unique park profiling its rich biodiversity. Kerala Biodiversity Park, a joint initiative of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board and the Science and Technology Museum, is all set to open in Thiruvananthapuram in August.
Board chairman Oommen V. Oommen told The Hindu here that it would be located at the boathouse building of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore at Vallakkadavu. The 5,000-sq-m heritage building would showcase “what we have and why we should protect it,” he said. The rich flora and fauna in all the districts would be on display using most modern technological tools.
3D theatre
There would also be a 3D theatre and a ‘science on sphere’ theatre. “It will be a perfect platform to create awareness about the need to conserve Kerala’s biodiversity. Also, the visitors will have a virtual experience of the rare species of plants and animals such as frogs and reptiles found on the Western Ghats,” he said.
Change in attitude
The work on the ₹5-crore park was in full swing and it is expected to be completed in August. Mr. Oommen sees a perceptible change in people’s attitude towards environmental conservation. “Recently, we teamed up with the biodiversity management committees of local bodies and local residents associations to rejuvenate 14 abandoned urban ponds in Thiruvananthapuram district. A 13-acre abandoned quarry at Kakkanad in Ernakulam district was cleaned and cleared of filth and garbage. A park and a garden were developed around it and saplings were planted,” he said.
Mr. Oommen said that local self-governing bodies had a major role in environment conservation and in coming up with similar projects.
Other proposals
Among the other proposals of the board are a garden at Munnar in Idukki district, biodiversity heritage sites, and parks in public places and schools. Dinesan Cheruvat, member secretary of the board, said that Madayippara, the flat-topped hillock of Kannur; Ashramam mangroves of Kollam; and Pathiramanal island in Alappuzha would be a few of them. There is also a proposal to develop a bio-heritage park and an ecotourism centre at a 246-acre riverine patch at Muzhakkunnu in Kannur.
