The ‘Guindy National Park’ of Tamil Nadu provides various ecosystem services to the people of the city of Chennai.
The term ‘ecosystem services’ refers to the direct and indirect contribution of an ecosystem to human welfare.
Important facts about Guindy National Park:
- It is the 8th smallest national park in India and one of the major national parks that are located inside the city. It is situated in the middle of the metropolitan area of It is one of the last of the tropical dry evergreen forests of the Coromandel Coast.
- About twenty two acres of land of ‘Guindy National Park’ has been converted as Children’s Park for Ex-Situ Conservation.
- Guindy National Park along with a Guindy Snake Park is also located here. It has got statutory recognition as a medium zoo from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in the year
- This small area, formerly known as Guindy Deer Park, was later declared a national park in the year
Flora and Fauna:
- It has more than thirty species of trees and large and dense trees of giant banyans which are several centuries old.
- Black deer, spotted deer, jackal, different species of snakes, more than 100 species of birds and more than 60 species of butterflies are found in this region.
Other National Parks of Tamil Nadu:
| Dhanushkodi | Marine National Park in the Gulf of Mannar |
| Anamalai | Indira Gandhi National Park, formerly known as Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Ooty | Mukurthi National Park |
| Mudumalai | Mudumalai National Park |
Types of Conservation:
Ex-Situ Conservation: This type of conservation refers to the preservation of flora or fauna in an isolated place outside their native environment or natural habitat. This type of conservation method includes maintenance of gene bank, seed bank etc.
In-Situ Conservation: This type of conservation refers to the preservation of flora or fauna in their natural habitats. Such a method includes the maintenance of natural habitats in the form of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, etc.
Source – The Hindu
