Why neighbourhood parks are vital to biodiversity

Nearly every locality in Bengaluru has at least one neighbourhood park, reveals a study.

‘Building Biodiversity in Neighbourhood Parks in Bangalore City, India: Ordinary Yet Essential’, was conducted by Savitha Swamy of ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment) and Soubadra Devy along with Harini Nagendra from Azim Premji University.

37 neighbourhood parks in four zones and their biodiversity were analysed.

Parks were classified into three categories. Small (spread across 300-1,000 sq m), medium (measuring 1,000-5,000 sq m) and large (over 5,000 sq m). The study assessed 11 small, 14 medium and 12 large parks.

Researchers recorded 55 tree species, 45 bird species, 41 butterfly species and 68 morphospecies of insects, demonstrating that small green spaces are critical systems that help sustain the city’s biodiversity.

The study found medium and large parks had a wider tree distribution compared to smaller parks. Parks of all sizes saw an equal representation of both native and exotic tree species.

The researchers observed that at some parks, the size did not directly impact species abundance indicating that factors like habitat composition and other landscape variables played a role. Researchers pointed out that as large green spaces like Cubbon Park, Lalbagh, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK) support higher biodiversity, small green patches around them connect these spaces, otherwise isolated due to rapid urbanisation.

Soubadra Devy, stressed the importance of many types of habitats and said that in reality, specialised species cannot use all habitats in a landscape. Hence, there is a need for heterogeneity.

According to the research, close-knit neighbourhood parks could be an important landscape feature that vagile taxa like birds can rely on to extend their habitat requirement.

At a time when neighbourhood parks are undergoing rapid changes due to modern landscaping, reducing their functionality as just spaces for recreation, the study asserts that even they can support adequate biodiversity and decelerate rapid biodiversity loss.

Neighbourhood parks, in spite of their limited size, if connected through green links, could contribute significantly towards conserving biodiversity within the city, added Soubadra.