Bengaluru, 11 Sept 

The State government has declared 8.61 acres of green area belonging to the Bangalore South-West Railway here as a Biodiversity Heritage Site, under the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

In a government order dated 10 September, the State has acknowledged that the site, adjacent to the Cantonment Railway Station, supports tree-rich biological diversity and serves as a crucial lung space in the City’s rapidly urbanising landscape.

The order also further observed that the area is part of the City's historic parade ground, associated with colonial-era development, heritage structures, and long-standing human settlements. “This site is the green area where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, held dialogues with freedom fighters,” the order said.

The land with 371 old trees of 50 species, which belongs to Bangalore South-West Railway, was recently leased to a private company for 60 years for a commercial project. But, following objections by the activists to the tree felling, the government had invited public opinion on the proposal to declare the area as a biodiversity heritage site.

The decision was made at a special meeting of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, chaired by Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre.

What is a Biodiversity Heritage Site? 

Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) are areas of ecological significance, rich in both wild and domesticated species, rare and threatened species, and areas with high endemism or evolutionary significance. BHSs are identified by the State Government under Section 37 of India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002.