Tag: Dheerpur Wetlands
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Cities – Far Away from Nature?
Global populations continue to urbanise at an unprecedented rate, with cities expanding into huge concentrations of concrete, steel, and glass, raising sustainability concerns. I’ve attempted to explore this issue from the standpoint of urban ecology, an interdisciplinary branch of study that looks at the complex interactions between the built environment of cities and non-human species.
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Valuing Insects
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Recently, I had the opportunity to go into the field with my colleague, Ojit, an entomologist by training. While Ojit was observing the mating behaviour of dragonflies, I was extremely fascinated with the eyes of the insect. And so, I inquired about vision in insects. Ojit informed me that insects, like the…
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Camera Trapping in Dheerpur Wetland Project Site
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Every year, during the monsoon season, the Dheerpur Wetland Project (DWP) site undergoes a drastic transformation in its appearance. Torrential rains and stormwater flowing into the wetland from surrounding areas lead to flooding in most parts of the wetland. During this time, the DWP site also serves as a habitat for a…
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IUCN’s Bird Species of Least Concern, A Matter of Concern in the City
Amit Kaushik This present piece is a photo blog depicting some of the bird species that have been sighted at the Dheerpur Wetland Park (DWP) during the bird surveys undertaken by the Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) over the past several months. In the face of rapid urbanization in Delhi, spaces such as…
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After-effects of a Thousand Feet
Vipin Kumar The mineral and nutrient-rich uppermost layer of the earth’s crust that supports almost all lifeforms in the terrestrial environment is known as soil. It is formed by the slow and continuous weathering of rocks by various physical (thunderstorm & cracks by water freeze), chemical (atmospheric chemicals) and biological (plants & microbial growth) factors.…
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The Grass is Greener on Every Side
Amit Kaushik Soils are known to have enormous seed banks and there are some long-lived seeds which patiently wait to sprout until the seed dormancy period has passed. However, in an area where wetlands have been drained and cultivated for more than 10-15 years, seeds in the seed bank die and may not be able…
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Chasing Rains
Amit Kaushik It all started with pitching a tent! According to objectives of the Dheerpur Wetland Park (DWP) project, massive on-site plantation was to be carried out in the monsoon of 2016. However, when the first rains of the season did arrive, we were slightly unprepared for plantation. To begin with, we did not have…
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Huge Opportunity and Even Bigger Challenges: Wetland Restoration in the Urban
Ajay Immanuel Gonji It has been a little over a year and a half since Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) entered into a management agreement with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to restore a small relict of the Jahangirpuri group of wetlands. The Dheerpur Wetland Park (DWP) is an ambitious collaborative project between AUD and DDA…