India’s first grass conservatory’ spread over an area of two acres was inaugurated on Sunday at Ranikhet in Almora district.
Funded under the Central Government’s CAMPA scheme, the conservatory was developed in three years by the research wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department, Chief Conservator of Forest (research) Sanjiv Chaturvedi said.
Around 90 different grass species of significant scientific, ecological, medicinal, and cultural import have been grown in the conservation area, he said.
The project aims to create awareness about the importance of grass species, promote their conservation, and facilitate research in the field, he said.
The initiative assumes importance as it has been proved in latest researches that grasslands are more effective in carbon sequestration’ than forest land, Chaturvedi said.
It is also important because grasslands are facing various types of threats and their area is shrinking, endangering an entire ecosystem of insects, birds, and mammals dependent on them, he said.
Grasses are economically the most important of all flowering plants because of their nutritious grain and soil forming function, he said.
The conservation area has seven different categories of grass species including those that are known for their aromatic, medicinal, fodder, ornamental, agricultural, and religious uses.