Biodiversity is a term used to describe the vast variety of life we see around us. Arogyashram started with the cultivation of linaloe plants for the extraction of its oil. However, it was the focused efforts of Sri B.V. Venkatesha Murthy in the last fifteen years that introduced many medicinal plant species used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines. This not only satisfied his academic pursuits and interest of botany but also served as a carbon sink for the town of Nanjangud. Planted over approximately 11 acres, these naturally occurring species of plants developed and began flowering, attracting a variety of birds, butterflies, and bees. As each season passed, a good amount of leaf fall enriched the soil and increased the humus layer by layer. The soil and vegetation also became a haven for worms and a variety of insects. The natural terrain of the land provided some wet pockets that created a comfortable environment for frogs to breed. We have heard and seen a few varieties, including the Mysore frog. Rodents quickly started finding their homes in the garden, as the soil was easy to burrow in and could keep them safe from their predators. Gradually but surely, all the right components of an ecosystem were established, and it was just a matter of time for more of the flora & fauna to follow.

 

David Attenborough, the noted naturalist and fantastic storyteller responsible for most of the content on biodiversity on earth, says. “It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for - the whole thing, rather than just one or two stars.”

 

At present, we have identified about 300-plus species of plants with medicinal value growing in Arogyashram, a wide variety of insects (about 299) have been photographed, and we are in the process of identifying and categorizing them into Bees, Wasps, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Spiders, among others. Over the past 10 years, we have seen an increase in the avian visitors too, avid bird watchers who have visited our premises have noted 60 different species so far.

 

Another popular Indian Naturalist, Smt. Vandana Shiva has said, “Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative.”

 

We are a witness to the difference that a small initiative can make to conserving or cultivating biodiversity. Just by adding plant species of different habits to the existing Mexican linaloe trees, we created a spectacular environment that displays a magical balance between plant, predator, and prey. It is truly a humbling experience to understand how tiny insects build a home, protect themselves with all the engineering and common sense that we thought only we humans understood. Genetic memory may be an easy explanation for it, but somewhere in the past, it must have been developed by the punishment and reward experience mechanism

 

Finally, as said by Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations: The preservation of biodiversity is not just a job for governments. International and non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and each and every individual have a role to play in changing entrenched outlooks and ending destructive patterns of behaviour.”

 

The Sadvaidyasala Private Limited and Sri Dhanvantari Arogyashram Trust together certainly have started to do our bit to conserve biodiversity, and our space hopefully can help not only for providing a healthy environment to people to recover but also serve as a good education tool or model to students of Biodiversity, Ayurveda, and just anyone interested in Nature. Patients of Arogyashram benefit by walking around these natural surroundings, a small yet unique private effort in trying to conserve nature amidst a growing township and providing priceless oxygen to the residents of Nanjangud.