User:Narinderkhajuria/sandbox

= NEW FUNDAW =

Urbanization is a major cause of both loss of bio-diversity and climate change. While cities with suitable habitats and conservation policies may support local high biodiversity levels, this important aspect has actually lost attention of the Governments keeping in view the complexity involved in governing and managing large cities.

Cities comprise of mixed green patches that vary in size and are highly scattered and disconnected. Although small green spaces largely dominate the city landscape, the roles they play often goes unnoticed and, as such, are often neglected by City Governments, naturalists and conservationists, alike, as they do not fulfil the large green spaces criteria. As such, the onus of taking care of these fragmented and isolated habitat patches, which are the signature landscape of most cities, lies with the neighborhood residents. These habitats are heterogeneous and can vary in both shapes and sizes. Regardless of the size, they support biodiversity and provide a range of ecosystem services to the community. In a step towards this, initiative was to create a Model for Functional Urban Neighborhood Micro Diversity Zone in Arid Waste lands by the name NEW FUNDAW in Jammu Cíty.

The New Functional Urban Neighbourhood Diversity in Arid Wastelands (NEW FUNDAW) is an initiative to create a network of urban biodiversity spaces across various neighbourhoods and cluster settlements to develop identified arid wastelands or fallow lands into flourishing biodiversity spaces with a focus on plants suited for arid places and/or with medicinal/aromatic properties which will further serve greater community’s varied needs.

The NEW FUNDAW will be prioritizing the development of a network of urban biodiversity spaces in and around our cities, especially where the urban development has hitherto neglected the element of sustainability. It is interesting to note that whereas the projects with larger areas are being developed at select locations across our cities and towns, the smaller areas are more often than not being overlooked by the authorities owing to their lower stakes. It is here that our initiative will unite the stakeholders to develop, own, and maintain the urban neighbourhood biodiversity spaces with far-reaching consequences as a part of the wider network spread across the cities and towns.

Tribute:
“NEW FUNDAW” is a small tribute to the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-Beingwhich is an ambitious government mission under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, Innovation, Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) that strives to bring to the limelight the issues of conservation and biodiversity with following activities:


 * The main aim of the mission is to bring conservation and biodiversity to the forefront of Indian science, policy, and society’s attention.
 * The mission’s activities are wide-ranging and involve among others, restoration of biodiversity in many habitats, developing an early-warning system for zoonotic diseases, addressing knowledge gaps in biodiversity, etc.
 * The mission is expected to meet conservation and sustainable development goals in multiple ways.
 * Activities under the NMBHWB will not be restricted to certain geographical areas or protected regions.
 * It is envisaged as an inclusive mission that involves scientists, farmers, policymakers, students, industrialists, etc.
 * It will engage government agencies, NGOs, scientific institutions at the national, state and local levels.
 * This is a significant mission because currently, biodiversity science is a very fragmented and neglected field in India.

“NEW FUNDAW” is also in line with CBD’s framework presenting five long-term goals for 2050 related to the CBD’s 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, and each of these goals has an associated outcome for 2030. The five goals address:


 * Net loss and ecosystem resilience;
 * Reductions in the percentage of species threatened with extinction;
 * Maintenance and enhancement of genetic diversity;
 * Benefits of nature to people;
 * Increasing the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

Mission:
To create livable and vibrant communities that provide a wide range of amenities and services to residents, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of the community.

Vision:
To create a world where all neighborhoods are diverse, livable, and sustainable, and where people have access to a range of amenities and services that contribute to their health and well-being. This vision could involve efforts to create more walkable and bikeable communities, reduce reliance on cars, and support local businesses and economic development. It could also involve efforts to protect and restore natural areas, and promote sustainable land use practices.

About Biodiversity:
Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. ‘Biodiversity’ comes from two words: ‘biological’, which means relating to biology or living organisms, and ‘diversity’, meaning a range of different things or variety. Biodiversity is variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Biodiversity is the variety of all living things: the different plants, animals and microorganisms, the different genetic information they contain, and the varied ecosystems they form.

The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.

Why Biodiversity?:
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.

Why biodiversity is key to our survival:

 * Ensures health and food security.
 * Hub of medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs and, thus, helps fight disease and protect us.
 * Provides livelihoods and benefits businesses.
 * Soils formation/protection and nutrient recycling/storage.
 * Air and Water Pollution breakdown and absorption.
 * Contribution to climate stability and ecosystem services.
 * Quality of life by providing recreational and tourism services.

Human dependence on biodiversity extends beyond the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. This dependence has been classified into four main services—provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting—and each is essential to human health (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005).


 * provisioning services—the production of food, fibre, water and medicines;
 * regulating services—the control of climate and diseases;
 * supporting services—nutrient cycling and crop pollination;
 * cultural services—such as spiritual and recreational benefits.

Why Neighbourhood Diversity?:
The pace with which cities are developing world wide has definitely influenced the biodiversity due to concretization of land, supplemented by the fact that the cities are the consumption centres of the world's resources. Cities consume large amounts of resources drown from faraway places, thereby affecting the biodiversity of those places as well – what we call "Global Biodiversity Influence (GBI)”.

Neighbourhood biodiversity, as such, has been the necessity and integral part of our environment not only for proper functioning and existence of ecological world but also for biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity is the heritage of nature and it should be conserved both for welfare of the human population in particular and the natural environment in general.

The concept of Neighbourhood Biodiversity is one of the innovative and positive approaches to promote the conservation of natural resources in urban matrix. Due to increasing industrialization, human population, overgrazing and urbanization, the biological diversity needs strong management strategies and the promotion of Neighbourhood Biodiversity is one of the strongest efforts in this field.

Urban Neighbourhoods and Biodiversity:
Urban neighborhoods are often thought of as places where nature is scarce and biodiversity is limited. However, this is not necessarily the case. Even in the midst of a bustling city, urban neighborhoods can support a diverse array of plant and animal life, and this biodiversity can have significant benefits for both the natural world and for humans.

One way that urban neighborhoods can support biodiversity is through the use of green spaces. Parks, gardens, and other green areas within a city can provide habitat for a variety of species, from birds and butterflies to small mammals and reptiles. These green spaces can also serve as corridors for animals to move through the city, helping to connect different areas of habitat and allowing for the exchange of genetic material between populations.

In addition to providing habitat, urban neighborhoods can also support biodiversity through conservation efforts. This can include things like habitat restoration, the protection of threatened and endangered species, and the implementation of conservation programs. By working to protect and restore natural areas within the city, we can help to ensure that urban neighborhoods are able to support a rich diversity of plant and animal life.

Overall, urban neighborhoods have the potential to be rich and diverse places, supporting a wide range of plant and animal life. By creating and protecting green spaces, implementing green infrastructure, and engaging in conservation efforts, we can help to promote and maintain the biodiversity of our urban neighborhoods, creating healthier and more livable communities for all.

Functional Urban Neighbourhood Diversity:
Functional urban neighborhood biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life within a neighborhood. A neighborhood with functional urban neighborhood biodiversity will typically have a mix of natural habitats, such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands, as well as man-made features like gardens, parks, and green roofs. This diversity of plant and animal life can provide a number of benefits to the community.

One benefit of functional urban neighborhood biodiversity is that it can improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. For example, having a variety of plants and animals can create a more pleasant and attractive environment, and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature. It can also provide a sense of pride and ownership in the community, as people may be more likely to take care of and appreciate the natural resources in their neighborhood.

Functional urban neighborhood biodiversity can also provide environmental benefits. For example, having a diverse range of plants and animals can improve air and water quality, and provide natural habitat for a variety of species. It can also help to mitigate the impact of climate change, as diverse ecosystems are more resilient and can better adapt to changing conditions.

Functional urban neighborhood biodiversity can contribute to the overall health and well-being of a community, and enhance the quality of life for the people who live there.

Overall, functional urban neighborhood biodiversity is an important aspect of the livability and sustainability of communities. By supporting and protecting biodiversity in our neighborhoods, we can create healthier, more livable, and more sustainable places to live.

Background:
As per the Census of India 2011, 31.16% of the country’s population resides in urban areas, accounting for approximately 37 crore population in absolute terms; and is further expected to rise to around 40% by 2026[1]. There has been a consistent rise in the number of urban centers between 1901 and 2011, wherein the urban population has witnessed an exponential six-fold increase. It is being expected that the number of towns and cities in India which was 7933 as per the last census, will cross the 10,000 mark[2].

The biggest challenge for urban development is not only to ensure the greening of cities and towns but also to maintain and strengthen the existing green cover. In fact, adequate tree cover has been found as an essential link in the urban biodiversity chain[4]. Since the development and preservation of vegetated areas or urban biodiversity spaces have been shown to improve the quality of life by providing all residents with natural settings for leisure, economic engagements/recreation, and simultaneously safeguarding the quality of basic resources such as air and water; dedicated activities for their development need to be prioritized.

The contemporary urbanization process is characterized by unorganized, random, and haphazard development, especially in the peri-urban areas with a large majority of the new urban population not having easy access to land and other services. In comparison to these services, it is quite often that urban biodiversity planning takes a back seat.

The way cities develop definitively influences biodiversity conservation and the distribution of its benefits among different groups in society, as cities are the consumption centres of the world’s resources. Cities consume large amounts of resources coming from faraway places, affecting the biodiversity of those places — what we call ‘global biodiversity influence’[3].

1.	Urbanization is both a challenge and an opportunity to manage ecosystem services globally:
The great urban expansion we are going to face in the next decades will heavily draw on natural resources on a global scale, and will consume prime agricultural land, with severe effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services elsewhere. Urban regions must take responsibility for motivating and implementing solutions that take into account their deep connections with and impacts on the rest of the planet.

2.	Rich biodiversity can exist in cities:
Many urban areas host great species richness and some are even located within globally recognized “biodiversity hotspots”. Many cities also contain protected areas within or just outside their borders that provide an important contribution to biodiversity. With proper planning and management, cities can retain substantial components of native biodiversity, increase ecological functionality and maximize the ecosystem services offered.

3.	Biodiversity and ecosystem services are critical natural capital:
Valuing ecosystems in both monetary and non-monetary terms is an important tool for mainstreaming ecological considerations into the management of a city. By illustrating that natural capital contributes to job creation, that it is a cost effective alternative, and it complements services already provided by municipalities such as disaster-risk management and food security, municipal leaders can be encouraged to make decisions that favour the environment rather than harm it.

4.	Maintaining functioning urban ecosystems can significantly enhance human health and well-being:
The health benefits that we derive from direct contact with ecosystems range from improving the immune function, mood, and concentration to reducing stress and enhancing the benefits of physical exercise. Ecosystems also indirectly support human well-being by providing, for example, air and water purification, pest control, and climate regulation. Developing urban spaces that improve air quality, promote active living, and facilitate good nutrition and dietary diversity can enhance human health and biodiversity.

5.	Urban ecosystem services and biodiversity can help contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation:
Cities contribute to 60-70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in urban biodiversity and ecosystem services, can play an important role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Urban green spaces, such as parks, agriculture, residential lawns and roof gardens can increase carbon storage and uptake, as well as significantly contribute to cooling the city. Blue spaces, such as functional watersheds, provide access to safe water for drinking and irrigation.

6.	Increasing the biodiversity of urban food systems can enhance food and nutrition security:
The capacity of urban, peri-urban, and rural areas for developing greater food self-reliance needs to be considered within a local biodiversity context, and investments are needed to protect local plant and animal species. Local alternatives can reduce vulnerability to global shocks and counterbalance price and supply volatility as well as reduce the ecological footprint of cities.

7.	Ecosystem services must be integrated in urban policy and planning:
Urban policy and planning provide opportunities to integrate biodiversity conservation into the design, building codes, zoning schemes, spatial plans, strategic choices, and enforcement of city management. The practice of urban planning, which can range from green infrastructures to promotion of organic and environmentally friendly products and services, is widely recognized as a vehicle for securing the long-term public good at the city scale.

8.	Successful management of biodiversity and ecosystem services must be based on multi-scale, multi-sectoral, and multi-stakeholder involvement:
The efficiency of cities’ governance efforts to address the multiple drivers of biodiversity loss strongly relies on collaboration between representatives from all levels of decision-making, from multiple jurisdictions, and with the inclusion of the general public. Good environmental governance is likely to benefit from a diversity of approaches. There is a need for generating more knowledge about governance of biodiversity as well as urban ecosystem services, and facilitating the exchange of this acquired knowledge.

9.	Cities offer unique opportunities for learning and education about a resilient and sustainable future:
Cities are a testing ground of our capacity to live together and create environments that are socially just, ecologically sustainable, economically productive, politically participatory, and culturally vibrant. Education is vital to the task of acquiring knowledge and capacity to manage our cities sustainably. This capacity is also generated through a wide range of informal modalities of learning like urban environmental education programs, which are growing in number.

10.	Cities have a large potential to generate innovations and governance tools and therefore can—and must—take the lead in sustainable development:
As centers of human innovation, and perhaps the most active frontier of human impact on the planet, cities offer enormous opportunities to re-imagine and invent a different kind of future with room for humans and other species to thrive. Some cities are starting to change their ways by taxing waste, encouraging renewable energy, promoting car sharing, and optimizing natural sources of light. These policies and tools are designed to be carbon neutral and to promote eco-citizenship, encouraging people to improve their own well-being by preserving the environment.

Ideally, there has to be a right balance between the built and natural environment. Amidst concretization in the cities and towns in terms of building multi-storied apartments, commercial complexes, and institutional buildings, there have to be conscious efforts from Urban Local bodies and Urban Development Authorities to provide for adequate green cover. Many green spaces in cities that have got disconnected from the wider environment tend to lose biodiversity characteristics due to continuous construction activities. Hence, protecting green spaces in isolation will often fail to sustain the capacity of urban ecosystems to generate value and they have to be well integrated into the overall city landscape[5].

Urban biodiversity spaces are critical for making our cities sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient. However, for these spaces to contribute to the optimum, they have to be planned, designed, developed, and managed/maintained appropriately so that they are accessible both in terms of area and population coverage[6]. These spaces assist in conserving diverse dimensions of ecosystems to bring in an element of sustainability in the developmental projects, without disrupting various natural and biological processes, detrimental to regional biodiversity.

NEW FUNDAW’s Methodology:
The New FUNDAW initiative is working to transform urban wastelands into a network of urban biodiversity spaces by first identifying urban wastelands, treating them to support vegetation, and subsequently transplanting flora species suitable for the identified area. Consequently, efforts will be deployed to reap the benefits of resultant biodiversity engagements towards restoring the natural balance.

The initiative is also prioritizing afforestation in its efforts, to provide short-term succor to the vulnerable human settlements as the nearby urban biodiversity spaces will assist in absorbing pollutants, prevent the formation of heat islands/heat waves, and also contribute to oxygen generation to combat both pollution and city heat. In other words, the initiative is working for improving the urban microclimate and maintaining the balance of the city's natural urban environment. The envisaged urban biodiversity spaces will act as temperature buffers providing shade in the summer, and wind breaks in the winter in addition to reducing noise pollution and CO₂ levels, and providing a habitat for wildlife[7]. These diverse and vital benefits can help solve multifaceted urban problems, reduce risk and expenditures, address inequity, improve the livability of cities, and yield multiple advantages from one intervention[8].

Moreover, it is equally important to recognize the other values they offer which can be useful to municipal decision-makers, such as the intangible ways that urban biodiversity can improve lives and the intrinsic, cultural, and spiritual values of biodiversity. Urban species and biodiversity spaces can play an important role in linking city-dwellers to nature and can instill pro-environment behavior[9]. Well-managed and maintained urban neighbourhood biodiversity spaces contribute to social interaction by creating opportunities for people of all ages to interact. They also enhance cultural life by providing venues for local festivals, civic celebrations, and theatrical performances.

Additionally, the Initiative will also be working to raise awareness, especially among the youth, of the values of such buffer spaces and associated biodiversity and what they can do to conserve it for sustainable development. It is our belief that public outreach and education are the keys to a  successful and sustainable urban development program since the active participation by those who will be most affected by urban greening projects is essential to preserving and managing those areas.[10]

Efforts so far:
Under this initiative, more than 200 species of plants have been planted till now, including some rare plants, in a relatively small area to promote bio-diversity and sustainable eco-system. Efforts are afoot to increase the city/urban biodiversity in terms of area/geographical coverage/species as well as in terms of innovative ideas.

The plantation of more than 200 species of plants from different areas and climatic zones in an identified barren land has improved the greenery and aesthetic/scenic beauty as a Model for Functional Urban Micro Bio-Diversity Zone in Arid Wastelands in Jammu City. The efforts, so far, have been able to increase the green cover and improved the flora, fauna and the micro-climate of the urban neighbourhood.

All these species are rarely available in urban areas these days and people in concrete forests have actually forgotten these valuable bio-resources. Bringing them back to cities make these plants/trees more popular and closer to humanity. The ready availability of these plants and their products (with medicinal and other properties) has made it possible to use them more frequently by common people.

With due care of the area and regular watering and organic manuring, there is cent percent survival of all the plants and over the past two years the barren area has been converted into a green zone where the foot fall has increased considerably and the area has become a happening place both for morning as well as evening walkers. This area has also become a stress relieving zone for common citizens. In the coming time, it will become a good oxygen zone with lot many direct and indirect health benefits.

Location:
Near House No. 263/1, Sector-G, (Near Railway Line crossing Khad), Sainik Colony, Jammu (J&K)-180011 [India] (Approximate Google Coordinates: 32.67245274067842, 74.89754891670607)

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083140662044

Google Map:
https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/NEW+FUNDAW/@32.6726655,74.8955882,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x391e9d23da0415c9:0x56dab23cc9818ffb!8m2!3d32.672661!4d74.8977769?hl=en

Website:
https://www.NewFundaw.com

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@narinderkhajuria

Author:
Mr. Narinder Khajuria is a Civil Servant working in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. With basic education in Forestry and Business Administration, Mr. Narinder Khajuria is a graduate of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, United States of America. He received global exposure through diverse studies in Leadership and Public Policy from the United States of America; Development Planning from the People’s Republic of China; Urban Planning from the City of Hong Kong; Urban Transportation from the City of London; Leisure Tourism from the City of Macao; and Energy Efficiency and Conservation from Japan. Mr. Khajuria is a widely travelled personality has a passion to give back both to the nature as well as society. With his passion for nature, he has made the concept of Functional Urban Neighbourhood Diversity in Arid Wastelands a true success story.

In recognition of his contribution and outstanding service in public affairs, the J&K Government conferred Mr. Narinder Khajuria with the State Award for Meritorious Public Service, 2019.

Contact:
Phone: +91-941-915-3790

Email: narinderkhajuria@gmail.com = References: = ''1,2.    Town and Country Planning Organization, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, 2014. Urban Greening Guidelines.''

''3.          Suwa A., Gasparatos A., Doll C., Lossifova D., Antonio Puppim de Oliveira J., Balaban O. and Moreno-Peñaranda R., 2011. Cities, Biodiversity and Governance.''

''4.       Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2012. Cities and Biodiversity Outlook (Action and Policy), A Global Assessment of the Links between Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services.''

''5.          Sangwan A., Saraswat A., Kumar N., Pipralia S. and Kumar A., 2022. Urban Green Spaces Prospects and Retrospects.''

''6.          Bibri S. E., Krogstie J. and Karrholm M., 2020. Compact city planning and development: Emerging practices and strategies for achieving the goals of sustainability.''

''7.          Bentrup, G. 2008. Conservation buffers: design guidelines for buffers, corridors, and greenways. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-109.  Asheville, NC: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 110 p.''

''8.          World Bank Group, 2021. Urban Nature and Biodiversity for Cities, Policy Brief.''

9.    Cox and Gaston 2016, Zhang, Goodale, and Chen 2014.

''10.          Walter A., 1997. Washington. Good Practices for Urban Greening, Environment Division of the Social Programs and Sustainable Development Department of the Inter-American Development Bank.''

= Additional References: =

''1.      Draft submitted to Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, 2010. National Mission for a Green India.''

''2.      Ministry of Urban Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Government of India, 2000. Guidelines for Greening of Urban Areas and Landscaping.''

''3.      International Congress on Urban Green Spaces. New Delhi, 2012. Proceedings of Session Challenges of Urban Green Development, Workshop on Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Use Optimization.''