Habitat and biodiversity conservation

The rehabilitation of the Klang River or Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) is a project that was put into effect in 2018 by the Selangor State Government. The project aimed to transform the Klang River, considered the most polluted river in Malaysia, into a beautiful and clean river which can be a new source of economic growth in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The river has been polluted with trash, plastic bottles, and sewage, which harmed the vegetation and the aquatic ecosystem (1). The project proved to be highly complex as it included rehabilitation of the river through several green solutions such as the creation of a community park, the conservation of various species of mangroves, and the implementation of riverfront greens as a measure of slope protection. The intervention is set to be developed on an area of 56 Km along the Klang River corridor. It is expected to promote and support the integrated management of river basins with particular emphasis on ensuring that biodiversity and wetland conservation and community considerations are incorporated into river basin management that includes the development of eco-city (3,5,6). Furthermore, the project intends to conduct an awareness campaign about river cleaning and rehabilitation activities to educate the public on the importance of rivers and the environment in our lives while consequently highlighting the critical state of pollution faced by the River (1).

In 2021, the local municipal government of Navi Mumbai City and a local NGO converted a neglected urban space used as a dump yard in Nisarg Udyan into a healthy and dense forest (Ref 1,2). The aim of the project was to improve biodiversity and complement the local ecosystem, choosing specifically native species from the local area for plantation (Ref 3). By applying the Miyawaki forest technique, the project was able to transform the wasteland into a 3-acre mini-forest quickly. A civic officer on behalf of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) drove the re-forestation project jointly with the support of Green Yatra, a local NGO, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding support from Sony Music Entertainment (Ref. 1, 3).

A 7-hectare pilot public project, the Tebet Eco park is located in South Jakarta in a neighbourhood that is densely populated. Previous to the intervention the park was in an acute state of deterioration and prone to floods as well as ecological degradation, as the park is streamed by a river which made it only more susceptible to heavy rains. As such, the municipal authorities of Jakarta planned to revitalize the area by " increasing the hydraulic capacity of existing canal, improving site-wide pedestrian connectivity, and adding new recreation program". This meant that the park was transformed by planting and conserving new and older trees, as well as using vegetation and natural embankments. Furthermore, the implementer planted riparian vegetation to improve water quality by filtering and cleansing surrounding runoff, which also enhanced the site's biodiversity. Besides these elements, a thematic garden, a forest buffer, and a community garden were implemented complementing the entire eco-design that the park aimed for. The park's rehabilitation focused greatly on the human element as it was paramount to provide maximum benefits for park users, the surrounding natural habitats and species, as well as increasing the land value of the area. (2,3,7)

In 2018, the Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation began reconstruction works at the main Botanical Garden in Almaty at the request of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction and with the support of the governor of Almaty city [1, 5, 6]. The goal of the project was the restoration of the botanic garden with preservation of its original green character and the modernization of its infrastructure [2, 5]. Taking into account the special status of the Botanical Garden and the high public interest in the reconstruction project, the Foundation ensured full transparency to the public. Taking public recommendations into considerations, the schematic design of the reconstruction was approved in the autumn of 2018 [6]. The project also aimed to do no harm to the existing flora and fauna of botanical gardens, and apply new technology to provide long service life to the garden [1, 4].

To achieve the project's goals, the water supply system was restored, drip and auto irrigation systems were created. Around 174.3 thousand plants were planted, including more than 1300 trees. Additionally, 50 thousand sq.m of roads and paths were repaired, lighting systems and video surveillance systems were installed, and the garden furniture was renovated [1]. The project also resulted in the development of three new entrance pavilions with an electronic ticketing system. A mobile application with a garden map and a description of the green areas has been developed [5]. Special attention was paid to the accessibility of all zones of the Botanical Garden for low-mobility groups. [1, 4, 5, 6].

Confirming the success of the project, within three months after the reconstruction was completed, over 210 thousand persons visited the Almaty Botanic Garden [6].

Spanning over 32000 square meters and featuring a landscaped rainwater catchment basin [5], the Rain Garden was created in 2014 in the Nuvali district of Santa Rosa. The garden offers an example of eco-friendly urban planning in the Philippines, as the Nuvali district is an eco-city itself with residential, business and commercial areas. Besides the Evozone Rain Garden, Nuvali also has various nature amenities, including a multi-functional lake, cycling and hiking paths, a wildlife and bird sanctuary and camping grounds. The Evozone Rain Garden was established in a commercial development area and it includes spacious open areas and cycling paths, along with the footbridge and view deck and adjacent to the manmade lake in Nuvali [2]. The Rain garden also serves as a rainwater catchment basin, rainwater harvesting system, and fire reserve, providing recycled water for landscaping, irrigation and other non-potable water uses [1]. In addition, the garden has been developed to serve as a habitat for various bamboo varieties and birds [4], also making the garden an ideal birdwatching spot [3]. The EvoZone Rain garden is free and open to the public [2].

Bangladesh is a country prone to floods and waterlogging, which results in two-thirds of this nation's land being transformed into wetlands each year. As such, much land becomes unavailable and the restricted access to it causes food insecurity as well as severe environmental pressure on the flora, fauna and ecosystems. The impact is even more serious as agriculture is one of the most important contributors to Bangladesh's GDP (1).
To respond to most of the climate challenges and food insecurities, in 2007 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the humanitarian agency Care International, alongside other partners (including the Bangladeshi government), launched floating gardening (artificial islands, that simply rise and fall with the swelling waters) pilot project in the peri-urban area of the Gopalganj and other close by districts (1,2).
Floating gardens known locally as Baira are an old practice of crop cultivation in the wetlands of Bangladesh, the previous agricultural land, which got destroyed by the floods. The practice consists of piling together a number of dense layers of aquatic weeds like water hyacinth, duckweed, or paddy stubs and letting them decay. Afterwards, they're combined with silt and cow dung and inserted with plant/vegetable seeds left to flourish. On these beds, farmers cultivate fruits and vegetables like turmeric and ginger as well as okra, bitter gourd, snake gourd, spinach, and brinjal. In addition to veggies, rice seedlings can occasionally be raised. As a result, floating gardens are available to everyone, affordable, dependable, and completely in harmony with nature. (2,3) Furthermore, this aquatic farming practice has been shown to be highly effective in tackling the consequences of climatic variability and climate change like prolonged water-logging (3). The intervention has benefited approx. 2,000 families in the district of Gopalganj and it has opened the route for further projects that supported the practice of floating gardens (4).

The Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve is a forest located 10 km west of Kuala Lumpur in the state of Selangor and is the oldest managed forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. As the reserve was threatened over the years by plans for clearing and housing development, the community located in the township close to the forest sprang into action to salvage the forest. As early as 2003 an organization called Friends of Kota Damansara was formed to lead a diverse group of concerned individuals, organisations and communities to rally together to vocally defend the forest (2, 3). Efforts to protect and conserve the forest focused on a series of activities such as the development of a biodiversity management plan, awareness-raising activities, educational activities, building capacity activities, and the creation of an ethnobotanical garden to showcase Temuan (local indigenous people) knowledge of plants (1). These efforts were funded with the help of the UN's GEF's Small Grants Programme and led to the reserve being officially gazetted as of 18 February 2010 (Sel GN 398/2010) and being classified as amenity forest, education forest and research forest, making up 3% of land area in the state of Selangor (1, 2). Nowadays, the Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve Trails is a popular weekend destination for mountain bikers, trail runners and casual hikers (3). Furthermore, the KDCFP has become much more accessible and utilizable by visitors from various categories of societies, besides researchers discovering and documenting a number of species of flora and fauna unique or endemic to the park (1).

To address the mismanagement and illegal deforestation in the Changa Manga forest, the Punjab Government in Pakistan initiated strict actions with the help of the Forest Department between 2014 and 2017. Activities included planting new trees and taking action against illegal deforestation. Over the years, mismanagement and illegal deforestation decreased this woodland by 75% (measured in 2012) (2). The Government of Punjab approved the “Afforestation in Blank Areas in Changa Manga Plantation” project for the duration of three years from 2014 to 2017 aimed at the afforestation of a total area of 200 acres on flow irrigation during 2014-15 and maintenance of afforestation during the two subsequent years (2015-17) (4). Changa Manga Forest is one of the world’s oldest hand-planted forests, dating back to 1866 in Chunian City. It spreads over about 5065 hectares and hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna. The forest is home to 14 species of mammals, 50 species of birds, six species of reptiles, two species of amphibians, and 27 species of insects (1). Some exquisite tree families, such as Sheesham (rosewood). white mulberry and Kikar trees are found in this woodland (2). It also includes a wildlife preserve, which was launched in 2005 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan to protect white-backed vultures and ensure their captive breeding in the forest (3). Currently, Pakistan is losing forests at thrice the rate of the other South Asian countries. One of the major benefits of the Changa Manga Forest afforestation project was that it increased honey production by 70% in the different areas of the forest park (5).

Since 2012, the Municipality of Ipoh continued the revitalization and rehabilitation of the D.R. Seenivasagam Recreational Park (TDRS) under the Malaysian National Urbanisation Policy, which suggests that for every 1,000 inhabitants, there should be public green open spaces of 2 ha. Through this intervention, the Ipoh municipality tried to address several sustainability challenges, which are usually a result of the lack of green open spaces. Some of the challenges addressed were the urban heat island effect, soil erosion resulting from improper drainage, and noise pollution. Ultimately, the municipality aimed to provide a convenient setting for a variety of leisure and recreational activities in addition to enhancing the civic values of the community. The intervention consisted of several tree-planting actions organized by the Ipoh Council in collaboration with the Perak Government (a Malaysian state that has its capital in Ipoh).
D.R. Seenivasagam Recreational Park was built in the 1950s and is one of the largest urban parks in Ipoh. It has become a favourite among locals as well as an example of good practice for integrating green open spaces in addressing sustainability challenges over the years. Located in the vicinity of the Kinta River, during the early days of its opening, it was a mini botanical garden which eventually transitioned to a full-scale park, one of not too many in Ipoh. The park also includes a lake with wooden bridges that contributes to the diversity and habitat of the place. The DR Park, as it is known to the locals, has entertained many families for more than 25 years, starting as a mini-theme park during its formative years, much to the delight of many children. To date, the park has remained a popular spot with abundant greenery and attractions, an oasis within Ipoh’s city life. (1,2,3,4)

Raipur city is known as the seventh-most polluted city in the world (2, 3, 4). In response to the escalating problem of air pollution and its public health effects, the state of Chhattisgarh in India has envisioned the creation of a verdant and healthy natural space for urban inhabitants in the heart of Raipur - the Oxi-zone (3).This project acts as the 'Breathing lungs for Raipur' (1, 2). Approximately 19 acres of land were allocated to create an ‘oxy-zone’, including the demolition of buildings to plant trees in their place (1, 2, 4). Inspired by the iconic Central Park of New York City, and suggested by a local citizen group, the Oxi-zone aims to transform this area into a thriving habitat for diverse species of trees and plants, which will also provide water bodies to replenish the groundwater in the vicinity (2, 3, 4). In summary, this project is an integrated green space, enabling residents to relax, meditate and exercise within the “shadow of nature” (3, 4).