Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end- at MNP, Mumbai

Westside Plus - Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end, Features,

Butterfly hub to be ready by year-end
Posted On Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 02:55:44 PM

Indicators of air quality, prettier insects can help make our city better

Simit Bhagat Bandra

A new butterfly park at the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP) on the Sion-Dharavi Road is likely to be thrown open to visitors in the city by the end of this year.

The work for developing the park is being carried out since the past two years and experts believe it would not only be an ideal tourist attraction, but also a good place to revive the butterfly population.

Said Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director of MNP, the brainchild behind the park. “Butterflies are indicators of the air quality and if we really want to make our city a better place to live, we need parks like these.”

The project is coming up on a three-acre plot in MNP and is being funded by the MMRDA. The park would have pathways where flowering species, which support butterflies, would be planted.

“It has taken two years to develop this park at a cost of around Rs two lakh. To attract butterflies, we have planted several plants like Peepal, Kadamba, Lantana, Sweet Neem and a few wild plants for nectar and egg laying plants. We are also working on creating mud-puddling sites, where the butterflies can obtain nutrients such as salts,” said Kubal.

The park would be home to several species of butterflies, including some rare ones. India has about 1, 500 identified species of butterflies, while Mumbai has around 150 species. The park is already attracting around 72 species of butterflies and the numbers are expected to rise once the work is complete.

“We also plan to have an education centre, where we would be able to impart knowledge among the general public as well as students about butterflies and about how the systems of nature work,” said Kubal.
Experts believe that the park would contribute to butterfly conservation at a time when green cover in the city is fast dwindling and affecting the butterfly population.

Isaac Kehimkar, an expert on butterflies from the Bombay Natural History Society says, "It's a good initiative that the MNP has taken, and would help in creating awareness about insects among the common people."