Floral Diversity: Bringing the Western Ghats to Bangalore City

For years, a large patch on the eastern part of Bengaluru’s Lalbagh Botanical Garden mainly lay bare with a few scattered trees. From time to time, plans were formulated to turn it into something useful, including a parking lot, but none materialised. Worse, the area became a garbage dump, and walkers gave it a wide berth. That’s until a few years ago when park authorities decided to use it to try and grow plants from the Western Ghats.

The idea had a lot of takers, especially within the park’s bureaucratic hierarchy, and spurred enthusiasm and activity. Consultant chief botanist Dr KR Keshava Murthy, a functional area expert in ecology and biodiversity, helmed the project.

The past

Historically, Lalbagh gained recognition for its diverse collection of exotic trees from around the world. This prompted a need to introduce more native species for ecological balance.

Experts disagree on the exact number of plant species present in the 240-acre Lalbagh (between 1,850 and 2,950). However, there is no dispute regarding the presence of many non-native species.

While Lalbagh is historically associated with Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and the British, its history goes back several thousand years, with prehistoric burial sites and relics excavated in the early 1900s. In 1760, Hyder Ali chose this space to set up a series of gardens to grow various plants, including mangoes. “Lalbagh became a repository of exotic, unusual, and useful plants from around the world. Hyder Ali brought in plants from Delhi, Multan, and Lahore, Tipu from further afield, including Mauritius, Turkey, Persia, and parts of Africa,” says author Meera Iyer in her book Discovering Bengaluru. Once the British took over, they expanded Lalbagh’s inventory of plant species, and the park bears distinct traces of these various periods of history.  

The fruits of new trees

Dr Murthy points out that the Western Ghats has come under increasing pressure of development and loss of habitats, and plant species have been slowly losing the battle. Lalbagh seemed ideal for experimenting with preserving some of the more endangered and endemic species through conservation. This is particularly pertinent because: “The Western Ghats of Karnataka has 5,009 species of plants, of which 501 are tree species. There are 63 endemic trees and 567 RET (rare, endangered, threatened) species. Among the tree species planted in Lalbagh are 63 endemic and 100 RET species.”

Beyond ecological balance and habitat loss, there was a third significant reason for this project. It would serve locals in general and botany (especially taxonomy) students in particular, giving them access to the floral diversity ofthe Western Ghats. “This will hopefully be invaluable for students particularly, since most course syllabi have done away with field work and specimen collection,” Dr Murthy points out. For this reason, almost all the saplings have been labelled.  

Bringing the Western Ghats to the city is not without precedent. Over the last four decades, on Bangalore’s southern outskirts (in Kalkere near Bannerghatta National Park), a 120-acre plot has been turned into a thick forest, a sort of arboretum. Formerly designated “barren land” with mostly eucalyptus trees, the Kalkere forest project is the brainchild of former Karnataka environment secretary and environmentalist Dr AN Yellappa Reddy. However, not only is it remote,but it is also a dedicated place for research and study that has remained largely unknown to the public. With centrally located Lalbagh, however, the aim is awareness, education, and encouraging public interaction as much as possible.

Once the broad plans were in place and had the nod of those in charge (Dr M Jagadeesh, joint director [parks and plantations], Lalbagh, and G Kusuma, deputy director of horticulture), six acres of the empty patch were earmarked, and sourcing saplings began. Nurseries and other places were tapped, including roadside locations within the Western Ghats. “There were no specific criteria for species selection except for a practical one — three or more of whichever ones were available. We wanted to plant three individuals of each species to give them a better chance of survival.” 

The newly acquired saplings were housed in one of the nurseries within the garden for acclimatisation for 12-18 months. Of particular concern was that summer temperatures in Bengaluru now reach the high 30s, something that Western Ghats flora may not be used to. While the saplings were acclimatising, some uneven portions of the plot were filled and levelled, and the whole area was fertilised. A large basin-like pond, overgrown with shrubs and tall grass, was left untouched and could become a potential wetland during a later phase.

The planting plan was simple. The plot was split into three divisions — evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous — and saplings were planted accordingly in August 2023. “As far as possible, we planted species as they generally would be found naturally, with associated species bunched together. Through this, we tried to mimic the canopy of the Western Ghats,” Dr Murthy says, pointing out the groupings as we walk around the area. To further create the same conditions, rain guns (sprinklers on tall poles) were set up to imitate rain conditions and have been especially employed when it pours in the Western Ghats. 

In the first phase, about 450 saplings from 130 species, mostly found in the Karnataka portion of the Western Ghats (from the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru and Kodagu) were planted. Nearly a year later, in July 2024, 30 more species were added. “Eventually, we aim to have about 350 species, chosen from the entire length of the ghats,” Dr Murthy says, adding that herbs, shrubs, and other ground-level vegetation will also be introduced gradually in the next few years. About 18 months after the first planting phase, more than 99 per cent of the plants have survived and appear to be thriving. The plot is well on the way to becoming a miniature of the Western Ghats. Though there is still a long way to go, Dr Murthy is entirely optimistic. “Ultimately, we would like the growth to resemble the impenetrable forests of the Western Ghats.”