Welcome To
Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability
Our Mission
The Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) aims to address urban ecological issues with a view to offering solutions, and develop a skilled cohort of professionals who actively engage in, and find solutions for urban ecological challenges. The Centre serves as a focal point where researchers, government & non-governmental, citizens and private agencies converge and participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of sustainable environmental projects in cities. CUES collaborates actively with other schools and centres in AUD like the School of Human Ecology, School of Development Studies (SDS), School of Design (SDS), Centre for Community Knowledge (CCK) on areas of common interests. The Centre envisages to build linkages with teaching and research programmes within the University to provide students with hands-on learning, field practicum and engaged scholarship opportunities. The Centre hosts interactions and dialogues between Universities and other organizations in the city across thematics in urban sustainability.
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Our Blogs
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Unique Disposition of Urban Wildlife
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Urban Landscapes and Wildlife Urban landscapes are unique in that they represent one of the most managed and domesticated landscapes on the planet (Kareiva et al., 2007) that have been modified to fulfil not just our needs but also our wants. However, interestingly, Urban landscapes, by their very nature, also offer distinct…
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The Geographies of Animal Display
By citing various modes of animal exhibitions, this article demonstrates some of the ways in which animals have been represented in the circuits of natural history. Kartik Chugh Reliance Industries recently announced that they are establishing what they claim to be the world’s largest zoo in Jamnagar, Gujarat. On display would be more than a…
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Urban Wetland and its Importance
Vijaylakshmi Suman World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February to raise global awareness about the importance of wetlands for the environment and the people. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetland in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian…
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Report – Campus Bird Count 2021
Fizala Tayebulla The Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) participated in the Campus Bird Count 2021 event for the fifth time in a row since 2017. The Centre organised bird counts in all five campuses of Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) from 12th February to 15th February 2021. 12th February: Lodhi and Rohini Campus 13th…
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The Circulation of Toxicity Between Urban and Peri-urban Frontiers
Using a flow-based approach, this article uses the example of water in Ghaziabad in an attempt to reveal how toxicity is circulated and re-circulated between the urban and the peri-urban. Kartik Chugh Development and Peri-urbanisation Since the economic liberalization in 1991, India has experienced an upsurge in urbanization. In 2019, 34.5% of India’s total population…
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Defining ‘Urban Greenspace’
Vijaylakshmi Suman One of the aspects which I am planning to analyze for my doctoral study is how urban greenspaces are defined and understood by not just the people living around it, but also by planners and researchers. As part of the research process, I have been looking at several studies to find common definitions…
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Hybridization in Dogs
Ajay Immanuel Gonji In my previous article, ‘Understanding Street Dogs’, I had mentioned that all species belonging to the dog family (Canidae) – wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, domestic dogs, etc. – are interfertile (can mate with each other and produce offspring). There are numerous examples around the globe of canids mating across species lines. For…
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Complexities Associated with Urban Waste Reuse and Access
Kartik Chugh There are numerous benefits associated with the use of biodegradable urban waste as an input into agricultural production. As I’ve revealed in my earlier blog, the practice of reusing urban waste supports the livelihoods of many periurban farmers since it provides them with a reliable source of fertilizer and irrigation. Moreover, these practices…
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Urban Waste Reuse in Peri-urban Agriculture
Kartik Chugh Over the last few decades, we have witnessed more and more people migrating to urban centres. The growth of urban population has put cities under pressure. Consequently, cities have expanded their range. The process of urbanisation and industrialisation has resulted in the encroachment of peri-urban areas adjacent to the city. At the same…
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Whose City? Whose Commons?: Urbanization and the fate of (Peri) Urban Commons in India
Factors such as urbanization have led to the depletion of Common Property Resources, affecting the livelihoods of many who depend on them for sustenance. Kartik Chugh(Research Intern, CUES-TIGR2ESS) The demise of CPRs Common property resources (CPRs) can be understood as natural resources of a community where every member has access and non-exclusive property/usage rights to…
CUES Restoration Project Site: Dheerpur Wetland, Delhi
Description:
Restoration of Dheerpur Wetlands: A collaboration of CUES, AUD & DDA
The marshes and wetlands of the Yamuna region once extended from Azadpur to the present-day banks of the river. This region has been heavily drained and undergone an extensive land-use change during the last fifty years. Remnants of once widespread historical marshes can now only be seen near Jahangirpuri, Dheerpur and Burari. Since wetlands are increasingly appreciated globally and nationally for their socio-ecological functions and provisions, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) decided to restore the wetlands of Dheerpur.
Fragments of these wetlands have been filled up, dyked, dried and carved out for seasonal agriculture. Hence, it may not be sufficient to only stop their further degradation of wetlands of Dheerpur but would also be necessary to restore them for posterity. With this view, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has entered into a Management Agreement with Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD), in which the land ownership remains with DDA, and AUD would restore the wetlands. DDA would assist in civil work, funding research and restoration work, whereas AUD is entrusted with providing technical guidance for restoration and maintenance of the wetlands.
The Management Agreement for Dheerpur Wetland Project between AUD and DDA was signed on 17 February 2015. Following which the project was formally inaugurated on 19th June 2015.
Click here to read more on the Dheerpur Wetland Restoration
Location:
Dheerpur Wetland Project Site, Gandhi Vihar, Gopalpur Village,
Delhi 110009
Visiting hours:
10am – 5pm
Project Initiated:
Delhi, June 2015
Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability 