The Forest Minister of Nagaland has recently inaugurated an herbal garden at the Nagaland Zoological Park, Rangapahar Dimapur. There are reports that seven more have been established across the State and more are in the pipeline. This initiative of the Forest Department is a step in the right direction and will help in creating awareness about safeguarding our ecology. At the same time, the Forest Department has decided to plant tress on a massive scale. All such efforts must be encouraged and supported by the general public. We have this bad habit of destroying public property or indulging in land encroachment. Such negative actions must be stopped and those doing it must be prosecuted by the law enforcing agency.
Coming back to conservation efforts, it will be indeed a noble exercise if the State government or specifically the Forest & Environment Department can prepare a project to have at least one park in each of the eleven district headquarter. Such a park should be constructed somewhere near the urban centre and if land is not available, the next suitable area can be earmarked. The park need not be huge in size but the main objective is to improve the living condition of urban area by way of having a green space. Trees can be planted, water harvesting ponds can be made and other conservation measures can also be adopted into the park’s design. Besides enhancing the quality of life in the urban area, such parks can also be used to create awareness about the environment and educating on how to preserve our flora and fauna besides water conservation. Trees and green spaces can play an important role in improving city living conditions. It will also give an aesthetic look to our otherwise increasing concrete jungle. And with shrinking space in our urban jungles, having a park will allow us to enjoy outdoor recreation and contribute towards healthy living. In fact big cities like Delhi have many parks and green spaces which are like a breath of fresh air. There is no reason why Dimapur or Kohima cannot have one park each. The Forest Department should pursue this suggestion.
In industrialized countries, the practice of urban forestry has become a vital component of urban planning. Even mega cities like New York or London have their own parks which include watersheds, wildlife habitats, trees etc. People are realising the importance of having parks, gardens and other green spaces. And according to well researched studies trees and green spaces help keep cities cool; act as natural filters and noise absorbers besides protecting and improving the quality of natural resources such as soil, water, vegetation and wildlife. Further as most of us will agree, trees contribute significantly to the aesthetic appeal of a place and also the health of its dwellers. With increasing pollution whether air, noise or soil having trees will help mitigate the pollutants. There is evidence to prove the utility of trees in this regard. Besides the environmental benefits, there are immense social benefits as well. As already mentioned parks and green areas provide opportunities for healthy physical activity. In conclusion, having botanical gardens, zoos, nature parks are essential for improving quality of life. As such the initiative of our Forest Department is appreciated.
