City Biodiversity Index - Bhopal

Abstract

Considering the importance of the CBI, Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (MPSBB) initiated a project in 2021 to prepare the City Biodiversity Index for the cities of Bhopal and Indore, Madhya Pradesh with technical support from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun and ICLEI South Asia, New Delhi. The CBI of Bhopal has been prepared as per the guidelines and methodology provided in the User’s Manual on the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity, endorsed by the CBD in 2014. It comprises the following sections, a ‘Profile of the City’, which provides background information on the city; and the 23 indicators that make up the index. The 23 indicators are grouped across three main components viz. Native Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services provided by biodiversity and Governance and Management of biodiversity. The overall exercise collated and documented information on 488 species of plants, 274 species of birds, 85 species of butterflies, 36 species of herpetofauna, 44 species of fishes from various studies conducted within the city limits. A Natural Asset Map was also prepared which highlighted 12 land classes. Van Vihar National Park, 14 City Forests, Bhoj Wetland, Barkatullah University Campus and IIFM Campus are important biodiversity repositories in Bhopal.