The first Palmetum, specialized botanical park, of Uttarakhand, which is also the biggest in the whole of North India was inaugurated on Sunday.
Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Sanjeev Chaturvedi on Sunday inaugurated the Palmetum which has been developed by the research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department in the premises of Uttarakhand Forest Research Institute located in Haldwani. The Palmetum has around 100 different species of Palms.
Main aim of establishment of Palmetum is to promote conservation, further research and to create awareness about importance and ecological role of various palm species. Palmetum completed in a period of 3 years; it has been funded under CAMPA scheme of Central Government with an amount of 16 lakhs only, said Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Chief Conservator Forest, Uttarakhand.
Chaturvedi told The Daily Guardian, “The project has been established in an area of approximately 3.00 Acre, in Haldwani. Around 20 species of Palm in this Palmetum are endangered / threatened (total number of 4 species are critically endangered, 2 species are endangered, 2 species are vulnerable and 6 species are near threatened as per (International Union for Conservation of Nature) IUCN categorization, while 1 is rare as per ENVIS, 1 is threatened as per Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board and 1 is rare as per Indian Biodiversity Portal.
Out of the total palm species, 1 is endemic to Uttarakhand); Trachycarpus takil (Takil Palm), which is endemic to Uttarakhand, is only Palm which can survive sub zero temperature and declared as threatened by Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board; other endangered / threatened species include Beaucarnea recurvata (Ponytail Palm), Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (Bottle palm), Dypsis leptocheilos (Red neck palm) , Hyophorbe verschaffeltii (Spindle Palm)etc.
Lots of edible items come from palm trees. Coconuts are an obvious product of palm trees, dates, which are very nutritious; betel nuts used extensively in India; palm oil used in making food; acai fruit -all come from palm trees. Palm wine is created from coconut palms, date palms, the Chilean wine palm and other species. Owing to their great aesthetic and ornamental value, palms are cultivated for both indoor and outdoor decoration. Palms are managed by the indigenous populations for food, fodder, handicrafts, thatches and construction materials.