New arboretum at Jeolikot in Nainital showcases floral diversity of Shivalik hills

To create awareness and impart environment education, a big arboretum showcasing the floral diversity of the Shivalik hills was inaugurated at Jeolikot in Nainital district on Sunday.

With more than 200 species, Shivalik arboretum which was inaugurated by renowned environmentalist Ajay Rawat is spread over an area of 3 acres.

The trees standing here will be introduced to visitors, the Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjiv Chaturvedi said, adding that the placards hanging on individual trees to describe their qualities refer to them in the first person in a storytelling format.

Chaturvedi said, "It is for the purpose of creating awareness and imparting nature education to the people coming to this arboretum. The botcal garden is a first of its kind and one of the largest arboretums in the state."

The tree species include Kaphal (Myrica esculenta), Toon (Toona ciliata), Tejpat (Cinnamomum tamala), Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) and Buransh (Rhododendron arboreum).

Padam (Prunus cerasoides), Utis (Alnus nepalensis), Pangar (Aesculus indica), Timur (Xanthoxylum arinatum), Chyura (Diploknema butyracea), Malu (Bauhmia vahlii), and Ghingharu (Pyracantha cremilata) species also stand at the arboretum.

Shivalik hills are spread from Sindhu River in the western side up to Brahmaputra River in the eastern side and cover States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, according to an official press release.

These ranges formed the outer Himalayas and because of the altitudinal variation they are a source of rich floral and faunal biodiversity, it added.

( With inputs from ANI )