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| India’s first pollinator park was inaugurated at Haldwani, in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. Area = 4 acres. Took a year to build. |
What is a Pollinator?
A pollinator is an animal that causes plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen from one part of the flower of a plant to another part. This pollen then fertilizes the plant. Only fertilized plants can make fruit and/or seeds, and without them, the plants cannot reproduce.
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| Apis Cerana Indica |
In order to pollinate a plant, the pollinator must touch parts of the flower of the plant. Because of this, animals like bees, hummingbirds and some kinds of butterflies are the best pollinators, because they get their food from the flower of the plant and so brush up against parts of the flower. It has around 50 different pollinator species, which include various species of: butterflies, honeybees, birds, and other insects.
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| The park was inaugurated by naturalist and lepidopterist (butterfly expert) – Peter Smetacek. |
Features of the park
The park has displays on the mechanism of pollination of flowers by various species of butterflies, honeybees, birds,insects, moths, beetles, wasps, and small mammals. It also has small water bodies for mud puddling of butterflies, through which they take certain nutrients like salt.
There is arrangement of ultraviolet light to attract night pollinators like moths. Endemic species of honeybee Apis cerana indica, have also been reared in the park. Their numbers have declined considerably in recent years because of various threats like: pollution, use of pesticides/insecticides, and dominance of European species in honey production.
Apis cerana indica
Predominant bees found and domesticated in South Asia. Relatively non-aggressive and rarely exhibiting swarming behavior. This makes it ideal for beekeeping. Output of Apis Cerana Indica = 7 kg to 10 kg
Apis Mellifera
The European honeybee, produces 75% of India’s honey. India began to import the high-yield Mellifera in 1983, when beekeeping as a cottage industry was announced.Output of European honey bee = between 20 kg and 40 kg of honey per colony per year.
In the last decade honey production has grown by 200%, aided by initiatives like the Honey Mission — launched in 2017, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a Sweet Revolution.
Disadvantages of the European bees:
• Require a lot of maintenance,
• carry pathogens, and
• only suited to a few areas in India (it can’t tolerate high temperatures or rain).
• For European bees, a farmer has to spend ₹3 lakh to buy 50 boxes[a bee box costs ₹3,500 and the Mellifera costs another ₹3,000].
Alternative –
Give a small farmer ₹2,000 of support for boxes of the Indian honey bee [UTMT’s cost ₹1,000] Plus, training to transfer local bees from the wild and rear them. This will give them a low-cost way of adding to their yields through pollination and produce honey.
**UTMT = Under The Mango Tree, a non-profit organisation.
Like bees, butterflies are also crucial in pollination, play an essential role in the food chain and are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. An increase in pesticide use, deforestation, and climate change are some of the causes of habitat loss of butterflies. Nectar plant and host plants are important for butterfly habitat. Sunflower, marigold, lantana, petunia, hibiscus are some common nectar plants in India.
Butterflies depend on these plants for food.Curry leaves, cotton trees, cassia, citrus, are some example of host plants.These are the plants where eggs are laid, larvae, caterpillars and pupa are formed.To cater to the honeybees, butterflies, birds and moths, the park has flowering plants like: marigold, rose, hibiscus, and jasmine.
To attract various bird and butterfly species – bird feeders and nests have been placed throughout the park, with food grains. Some cut fruits have been put in the park, as certain butterfly species are attracted to such cut fruits. There are also host plants, in order to provide shelter to eggs, larvae and pupa, like: curry leaf plant, citrus species, cassia species, Lantana.
Aim of the park:
To conserve various pollinator species,create awareness among general public about the importance of pollinators, and to promote further research on various aspects of pollination.Use of all type of chemicals, including pesticides and insecticides have been totally stopped in the park and neighbouring area.
List of Butterfly Parks/House in India -
Bangalore,Srirangam, Trichy,Pune,Chandigarh,Thane,Goa,Sikkim
In India attention had not been given to the concept of pollinator parks so far. In USA and western countries, the importance of pollinators was recognised, through campaigns and legislations in 2015-2017. To conserve pollinators, pollinator parks, gardens, strips and pathways have been created there. 75% to 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need pollinators to reproduce. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species. Without them, existing populations of plants would decline, even if soil, air, nutrients, and other life-sustaining elements were available.
Pollinators affect nearly 35% of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, and thus forming the basis of our life.
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