This year’s World Environment Day stands out as an example of conservation innovation with the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) and a future initiative in the Western Ghats. Entrepreneurs Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana are in charge of these initiatives, which focus on reforestation, community involvement, and ecosystem regeneration.
A new Delhi businessman, Jai Dhar Gupta, was diagnosed with bronchial asthma and went on to become a champion for clean air.
In Rajaji National Park, Jai and environmentalist Vijay Dhasmana are currently establishing India’s first private biosphere. This 35-acre project in Uttarakhand tries to stop mining and poaching while restoring natural vegetation. The area first deteriorated and became arid because of agroforestry practices that focused on monoculture and soil erosion.
The group changed the topography, removed eucalyptus trees that weren’t native, and planted thousands of native plants. They brought 80 new species in 2023, and during the upcoming monsoon season, they intend to bring another 35 to 40.
Their initiatives include forbidding combustion-engine vehicles from operating within the biosphere and collaborating with nearby tribes, especially the Gujjars. As part of the effort, a second biosphere with a focus on distinctive local flora would be established above the Western Ghats, close to Pune.
