Editor’s Note: In today’s piece, we bring to you two issues from New Delhi, India. First, the Dwarka forest is being threatened with deforestation for redevelopment projects. Second, the spotted deer in Deer Park are being relocated to a different state because the authorities now believe that the deer have become “unmanageable.” The eco-suicidal drive of our collective culture is what makes decisions. The needs of nature and life come secondary. Both of these issues are a reflection of the same trend. The two issues are followed by a video from one of our readers. We thank Tannuja for providing us with the stories and David for offering the video.
Deforestation in Dwarka Forest
Location
An obscure 120 acre forestland in Dwarka, New Delhi, India.
History
This dense forest, hardly known to the public of Delhi, is located right behind New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport’s T3 Terminal. It is a newly grown forest that is under the threat of eradication due to rapid urbanization taking place in the area.
Importance
- Home to several species of both flora and fauna. Wildlife such as spotted deer, nilgai, local species of birds and many other animals have been thriving in the jungle peacefully.
- This forest is close to Sahibi river, though it is newly grown forest (around after 2008), it falls in the migratory route of Birds arriving at Great Najafgarh Lake.
- It also decreases the habitat concentration (overpopulation stress) from Najafgarh Lake.
- Delhi airport emissions are on a constant rise. So, this natural forest soaks up all that massive carbon emissions as it is situated pretty close. Shielding Dwarka citizens from jet fumes.
- Delhi airport is an urban heat-island and this forest helps regulate the rising temperature.
- Reports state that due to excessive groundwater extraction – nearby areas are going to SINK! This forest falls in low lying area so it recharges so much water to keep the Dwarka & Kapashera areas from sinking.
What is the crisis that has struck?
Recently, it was reported by a local resident named Mr. Naveen Solanki, that the forest is rapidly being destroyed by the Railways Authority for Bijwasan Railway Terminal Redevelopment Project. Since January 2022, he has been defending the forest on his own and has even filed a complaint in the Forest Department of New Delhi against the same. Yet the complaints have been going unheard.
Even earlier, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) had been slapped with a fine of almost 5.9 crore rupees (750,000 USD) by the Forest Department for felling 900 trees in the forest. The aggressive and rapid deforestation in the area continues to take place to this date for the Railways Project.
The wildlife that live in the forest, are at large risk of not only losing their home but being killed off as well by having no other option but to come out on the roads and into nearby areas with human settlements.
“Will the Government of India and authorities involved, do the right thing by putting an end to this atrocious eradicating of our forest lands?”
Link to complaints made by Mr. Solanki made public via. his Twitter account
@moefcc @CPCB_OFFICIAL @AapKaGopalRai @byadavbjp
Sir,
It is to inform you about complaints e-mailed to The DCF West Delhi on 30th march & a physical reminder provided but 4 months have passed-by without a hearing. Kindly initiate strict action. pic.twitter.com/9OtOtj9lXw— Naveen Solanki #BANCARS #CyclingRevolution🇮🇳 (@Solanki666N) July 4, 2023
Relocation of Deer from Deer Park
Location
Hauz Khas, South District, New Delhi, India.
History
This is a 60 year old, sprawling 60 acre bio-diversity park that is situated within the heart of the capital city. It was named after activist and social worker Aditya Nath Jha and popularly known as “Deer Park” because of the significant population of spotted deer — which it has been home to for the last six decades.
Importance
- A landmark place in the capital, it is home to not just the spotted deer population but hundreds of local species of birds, most notably the Indian peafowl, ducks and also a significant population of Indian monkeys and rabbits, along with a variety of flora as well.
- For the last 60 years, the wild animals in the park have been thriving without any direct human intervention so far. Which is a matter of great feat considering Delhi has lost almost its entire wildlife population throughout the courses of its history.
- One of the largest green belts to exist in New Delhi, it would be right to call it as one of “the lungs of Delhi” because it, collectively with other green belts, provides clean and fresh air in the otherwise heavily polluted capital city.
- Plus, the existence of wild animals and to see them thriving within the park premises, is a sight to behold.
What is the crisis that has struck?
Very recently, The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India, along with The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has passed an order deeming the existence of spotted deer population in the park as unmanageable.
So, it not only stripped-off the park of its “mini-zoo” title, but has decided to shut it completely by relocating its entire deer population (over 600 in number) to their “natural habitat” in the western state of Rajasthan — to be served as prey to other wild animals there. The place where the government wants to dump them (Rajasthan) is a desert state, with extreme arid climate throughout the year. These deer are used to living in the bearable, if not pleasant climate of New Delhi throughout their hundreds of generations. Now imagine getting dumped somewhere where there are no water sources readily available along with no grassland. The deer would come into a state of shock from not just the animals who’d want to hunt them but also the scarcity of their regular diets which they have been used to for years. The rise in the number of deer should’ve been a matter of pride and celebration, not an excuse to kick them out of their own home and take it all over.
Also, it would completely be put under the management of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) once the deer are relocated, which means that its landscaping would be altered or changed, to make it more accessible to humans/public.
“If the population of deer has become unmanageable, then why are the entire deer being relocated and not just a percentage of them?”
The concerned people of Delhi also fear that once the deer population is gone, then DDA also might start indulging the catering/event mafias in the park — to host private events and parties of the South Delhi elites in the park premises. The park would become a human-infested picnic spot and the talks about the authorities indulging catering/event mafias in its premises later on just might be right.This would only lead to littering and pollution in the park and impact/disturb its other wildlife residents that have been living peacefully there for the last six decades. Plus, many who have grown up in Delhi, have sentimental memories/values attached to the Deer Park. Hence, losing such a wildlife haven that has been there for the last sixty years in the heart of our city, has become nothing less than an utter shock to all of us.
Links to published pieces on the same issue via. various Indian media houses
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/delhi-an-jha-deer-park-loses-its-mini-zoo-tag-deer-to-be-relocated-11687938994427.html
https://www.timesnownews.com/delhi/delhi-deer-park-in-hauz-khas-is-closing-forever-its-deer-to-be-shifted-article-101356425
https://zeenews.india.com/india/delhi-set-to-lose-its-famous-deer-park-in-hauz-khan-heres-why-2627894.html
Warrior’s Choice
Also published on Medium.
Considering how grossly overpopulated India is, it takes a lot of nerve for a human to call another species “unmanageable.” As to population, it is in fact humans that are unmanageable, and India leads the way in human overpopulation. At least China did something about their overpopulation with their wildly successful one-child-family program. India has done nothing, and its population is now more unmanageable than anyone’s.
That said, if there are no native predators in the forest or park, the deer will overpopulate. This will cause them to destroy their habitat, become diseased, and starve. Predators and prey evolved together, and you can’t just have a bunch of deer with no predators, regardless of how cute and endearing the deer are. Ecology is about natural ecological balance, and without that you have ruin.
Both of these stories are about urban parks, far too small to be ecologically viable, which is why these kind of things don’t work. This is more about museum pieces than the natural environment, where ecosystems need a MINIMUM of 50,000 acres to be viable. This post shows why human overpopulation is the biggest problem on the planet: there’s simply no room for the deer to live. The problem of overconsumption/wrongful lifestyles has to be fixed also, but you simply can’t have an ecologically viable forest or park with wild animals that’s anywhere near this small, and there’s no room for a 50,000 acre forest or park anywhere near Delhi because of its gross human overpopulation.
Thanks so much for your thoughts on these issues, Jeff.
When it comes to forest covers of Delhi, it is only in bits and crumbs that any such land is left in the capital. The largest piece of landmass deemed as a natural forest within Delhi is close to just about 500 acres and rest others fall under that figure, more or less.
The “Dwarka Forest” being one such natural forest which has been thriving on its own and has had a balanced ecosystem since last 15 years due to presence of both the “predator and prey” animals in the jungle. With animals such as the Golden Jackal and few no.s of Indian Leopard sitting on top of its food chain, it was doing great for itself until the current Indian govt. decided to raze it for an ongoing Railways Redevelopment project.
However, the “Deer Park” mentioned in the write-up above is indeed a showpiece wildlife park which has existed in the city since the last 60 years. It was so far being “maintained” by the “Zoo Authority of India” as a “mini-zoo”. So, the deer in it along with the other wildlife were under manual caretaking with funding from the central govt. itself to make sure they live a healthy life as those animals also would come in close contact of park’s human visitors on a regular basis. But for some reason, the govt. now has decided to withdraw the funding and thinks the entire deer population needs to go! Which would perhaps now render the Deer Park into another park for just humans in the capital.
So, people who are aware of this atrocity definitely are upset and are desperately fighting to save the last remaining bits of Delhi’s greens and its wildlife.
Also, the current passing of the “Forest Act Amendment Bill 2023” has made the stance of current Indian govt. very clear on just how much it actually thinks of India’s forests and its wildlife on the whole. Millions of acres of forests and their ecological habitats currently stand threatened as I type this. It is very tragic!