India’s tourist haven, Uttarakhand is now home to the country’s first moss garden in Nainital. Here’s all you need to know about this new marvel. By Kumar Shree
India’s first moss garden in Nainital, inaugurated only a few days ago is spread across 10 hectares of land. The Uttarakhand Forest Department, whose research wing has developed this park, is receiving countless praises for their commendable work.
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The park took nearly a year to complete and it was recently inaugurated by Ramon Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh, who is also a noted water conservation activist and is known as the ‘Water Man of India’. He spoke about the significance of such initiatives during the inauguration event and highlighted their importance to re-establish the connection between man and nature.
The idea behind developing India’s first moss garden is way more profound than just developing a new tourist spot. The moss garden aims to conserve several species of moss and make people aware of their significance in the environment. Apart from 30 distinct species of moss, the garden is also home to many other bryophyte species. Moss species such as Brachythecium Buchananii and Hyophila Involuta (Cement Moss), both of which feature on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list, also reside in this garden.
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The garden also has a 1.2-km-long moss trail that features several moss species along with scientific information about their varieties and significance.
The garden has many other interesting elements to keep visitors interested in the world of moss. Apart from poems and caricatures about moss, the garden features a dinosaur model that establishes the existence of moss since the Jurassic era. There is also a moss terrarium to showcase its ecosystem and ornaments made of live moss, which is quite a popular phenomenon in Japan. The garden also showcases nests of birds made using moss for temperature regulation and antibacterial usage.
Related: This Rare Orchid Has Been Spotted In Uttarakhand For The First Time Ever!
