Sanjay Van a bird sanctuary in the making (Hindu 20 October 2011)

Lieutenant-Governor launches International Year of Forests celebration by planting a sapling
Amid a growing demand from nature lovers that Sanjay Van, a city forest spread over 783 acres near Neela Hauz, be made a bird sanctuary, the 2011 International Year of Forests celebration was launched by Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna on Wednesday by planting a sapling in the forest.
The Sanjay Van, which is presently undergoing restoration through a unique collaborative effort between the Delhi Development Authority and a citizen's group, could become a model that will be replicated to restore other ridges in the Capital.
The forest, which is part of the Mehrauli South Central Ridge, has undergone severe degradation in recent times with the proliferation of the Prosopsis Juliflora tree which is non-endemic to the Aravalli ranges and has caused depletion of the ground water level, killing native flora and changing the natural soil characteristics of the Aravallis. Sewage water and effluent discharge into Sanjay Van has also affected this green belt in the Capital.
Following the intervention and active petitioning of a group of citizens under the banner of Working With Nature Group (WWN) to the L-G, the DDA invited Air Vice-Marshal (retd.) Vinod Rawat of the group, to implement a scientific approach towards reviving the Sanjay Van. AVM Rawat organised a team which included two ecologists, Professors P. S. Ramakrishnan and K. S. Rao besides avid bird-watcher Dr. Surya Prakash, and in the last one year over 40,000 native Aravalli trees were planted – many of these by enthusiastic schoolchildren from neighbouring schools who volunteered to help.
Water management
Among the trees planted were those on the verge of disappearing from Sanjay Van like the dhak, khair, khejri, kumattha, desi keekar, hingot, ronjh, bistendu, and siris . The WWN also managed to revive, through better water management, 5,000 “ ber” bushes which had once flourished in Sanjay Van.
Though handicapped by the authorities not giving permission to remove the rapidly spreading Prosopsis Juliflora , the WWN team has worked around this problem by eradicating its seed pods, uprooting young saplings, and filling of open areas with native plants.
Another area where the team under AVM Rawat has made significant progress is water management. A detailed topographic map of Sanjay Van has been completed, and a DDA team is working with the WWN group to create water-harvesting structures, and cleaning of the discharged sewage water and effluents. AVM Rawat said the recharging of ground water would in a few years help create a large water body which will also help recharge the adjacent Neela Hauz lake.
Their results are already bearing fruit and Dr. Surya Prakash has testified to the presence of many rare birds like golden oriole, Asian paradise flycatcher, Eurasian sparrow hawk besides the pied-crested cuckoo which flies in from South Africa to breed in this forest. With Delhi being on the Central Asian Flyway, AVM Rawat said the development of rich greenery and water-bodies will help Sanjay Van attract a variety of migratory birds.
Besides the migratory ones, the forest is also a natural habitat for blue bulls, golden jackals, a large variety of butterflies, snakes, and birds like heron and peacock. The DDA has also promised to secure the forest through construction of a compound wall and appointing security staff.