Context: Telangana state government’s decision to auction off 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli forested land in the heart of Hyderabad triggered massive student protests.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts related to Kancha Gachibowli.
About Kancha Gachibowli
- Kancha Gachibowli is one of Hyderabad’s last remaining urban forests. The forest lies in close proximity to Gachibowli, one of the most rapidly developing IT and commercial corridors of Hyderabad. The forest is situated near the University of Hyderabad.
- The forest belongs to the Deccan scrub forest ecosystem - one of India’s most ecologically significant and under-protected landscapes.
- It borders the Gopanpally Reserve Forest and lies near the Osman Sagar lake catchment, both of which are vital ecological buffers for the city.
Flora and Fauna
- This ecological enclave is home to over 730 species of flowering plants, 10 species of mammals, 15 species of reptiles, and 220 species of birds.
- Dominated by native species such as neem, banyan, palash, and jamun, forming a thriving habitat for pollinators and birds.
- Key Fauna: spotted deer, wild boars, porcupines, monitor lizards, snakes, Indian star tortoise etc.
- It is one of the only known habitats of the Hyderabad tree trunk spider, a species found nowhere else in the world.
- The forest contains unique rock formations, including the 2.5-billion-year-old Mushroom Rock.
Concerns
- The trees here help lower the ambient temperature of surrounding areas, especially during Hyderabad’s sweltering summers. A recent study pointed out that losing such cover could lead to a rise in temperature by as much as 1.4°C locally.
Environmentalists warn that clearing this green cover could lead to irreversible habitat fragmentation, exacerbate the urban heat island effect, and intensify water crises.