Alibaug’s biodiversity garden brings biology books alive for kids

Struggling to make your child understand various concepts of nature while living in a concrete jungle? An answer to the woes of thousands of parents and school teachers is a biodiversity hotspot created close to the city customised to "bring the biology books alive".

At the expense of a mere Rs130, Mumbaikars can now visit the Shapoorji Pallonji Native Biodiversity Garden, a horticultural paradise designed especially to act as a learning resource. Located near the Teenvira Dam — mere 16km from Mandwa on the Mumbai-Alibaug Road — this ecological marvel spanning over 1.5 acre comprises over 540 species of native plants and dozens of environmental lessons.

"Extensive research and innovation went into every element of this garden to make it as educative and children-friendly as possible. For instance, the light fixtures are shaped as seed pods to demonstrate aerial dispersal of seeds," said Rashneh Pardiwala, founder and director of Mumbai-based NGO Centre for Environmental Research and Education, the knowledge partner for this project funded by Shapoorji Pallonji.

Harshad Langi, supervisor and resident guide of the garden, has seen children enthralled by the butterfly garden and musical bamboos inspired from windchimes. "Ideally, children aged 9 and above are able to learn the most here, but even younger kids enjoy themselves," said Langi, mentioning that sparrows, squirrels, monkeys and rabbits have been spotted in the garden in the two months since its inauguration.

Interesting add-ons are cultural symbols to help children understand the close relationship between Indian culture and preservation of nature. An artificial sacred grove has been installed to propagate the message that tracts of virgin forest were once attributed significance and holiness. The 'celebration' section promotes secularism, deepening the understanding that the same plants have pious meanings for several religions, and are used similarly during festivals to express gratitude to nature.

The vertical section alone houses over 135 species within a single tall structure, occupying minimal space yet overflowing with greenery. "This serves to remind us that nature need not require a lot of space to flourish. Even with limited floor space, Mumbai's residents may plant a variety of spices, herbs and leafy vegetables, mounted on walls or uptight frames," explains Pardiwala.

The caretakers of this garden indulge wildlife just as they indulge visitors. On any hot summer day, one may find water and apple slices placed strategically on basking rocks for butterflies. Visitors on the other hand are pampered with delicious herbal tea, the ingredients for which are collected from within the garden itself. The garden is also equipped for wheelchair access and has been constructed to ensure the safety of children.

To aid teachers with the educational process, CERE is soon launching a mobile application for the garden, a storehouse of all necessary information such as scientific and common names of plants, their types and characteristics as well as their exact location in the garden. Along with with the existing information labels will soon be a child-friendly kiosk, similar to an ATM machine, which will answer each query of a curious parent or child.

Pardiwala and Kitayun Rustom, co-founders of CERE and botany experts, spent hours poring over the curriculum of children to brainstorm on how it could be translated into tangible resources for experiential learning. They spent even greater efforts to source saplings of rare, native species such as rudraksha and sandalwood, as their objective with this garden was to promote the conservation of specifically those species which are native to India. The garden, hence, also contains a section dedicated to plants sourced from the Western Ghats, out of which many are fast disappearing.

"We were looking for 9-10 varieties of bamboos for the bamboo section, which is difficult to find. Upon finding that nurseries did not stock such variety, we had to approach private collectors for these saplings which took a great amount of time and effort on our part. However, it was necessary because now children can see the similarities and differences in the structures and uses of bamboos," informed Pardiwala. The garden has also started its own nursery recently, currently possessing approximately 300 saplings for sale.

Lessons for children go beyond the surface at this completely organic and sustainable garden. While revamping the nearly barren plot, CERE took care to not uproot any of the existing trees. A waterway leading to the Teenvira Dam has been made into a small bridge and an old handpump now has a dragonfly over it made out of waste materials. Organic solutions are used to remove pests, keeping in mind that the stunning butterflies will disappear and orchids will not thrive if any fertilizers are used.

Shapoorji Pallonji continues to maintain this solar-powered garden and develop its educational features, in a partnership with the NGO that has grown beyond simply creating a garden. "We want to change the way people perceive gardens. We urge companies to take up useful corporate social responsibilities such as this and move beyond chequebook philanthropy," says Pardiwala.

This park has been divided into 17 thematic sections

• Sensory Section
• Medicinal Section
• Butterfly Garden
• Wetland Ecosystem
• Grasses
• Ferns
• Orchids
• Ficuses
• Bamboos
• Vertical Garden
• Palms
• Spices
• Kitchen Garden
• Sacred Grove
• Adaption Section
• Celebration Garden
• Western Ghat Species