Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, is likely to conduct a study on the biodiversity of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi and prepare a management plan.
• One of the objectives of the study is to evaluate “potential socio-economic changes” on the life of nearby villages “by maintaining the ecological integrity of the ecosystem to ensure the wise use of common ecological goods and services”.
• It will also look at delineation of the mined-out pits and their attributes, including the plant and animal components and habitats associated with them, and promoting “sustainable eco-tourism”.

ABOUT THE SANCTUARY

• It covers an area of 32.71 sq km and is part of the Ridge in South Delhi.
• It is the only protected area representing the northeastern, rolling outliers as a landform of the country’s oldest hill ranges, the Aravallis.
  • Thus it geographically represents a landform not earlier represented in the national protected area network.
• The vegetation in the Wildlife Sanctuary is predominantly an open canopied thorny scrub.
  • Flora- total 237 species of plants, which includes 85 species of trees, 130 species of shrubs and herbs, 18 species of grasses and 4 species of sedges.
  • Dhau, Palash, Kanthari, Jharber are some of the native species of Aravalli range.
• Fauna includes Hog deer, Nilgai, Black Buck, Sambar, Spotted deer, Indian Boar, leopards, Striped hyenas, rhesus macaques etc.
• The area was earlier used for mining quartzite and sand, leaving deep mining pits behind, one of which, the Neeli Jheel, has now become a man-made lake and is among the main attractions the government wants to promote.