Prakriti Gyan Dham: Lucknow Eco-Educational Hub Opened
Why in the news
A new open-air learning facility on plants and trees was handed over to the country by Dr. Jitendra Singh, described as the first of its kind in India.
Key facts
- Prakriti Gyan Dham works as a walkable classroom and a living store of plant wealth, heritage trees and environmental research.
- Site: Maharishi Parashar Bioresource Centre (MPBC), Banthra, outskirts of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Developer: CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI).
- Purpose: take research beyond laboratories, teach through experience, protect botanical heritage, conserve threatened plants and create livelihoods.
Main attractions
- PAaVan Path (Plants and Associated Vegetations for Appreciating Nature): the central trail with species from varied ecological regions.
- Indian Heritage Garden: clones of sacred and freedom-struggle trees with QR audio guides.
- Bamboosteum: 43 bamboo species shown as renewable, carbon-storing resources.
- Vibhav enclave: Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) plants; Bhairav enclave: State Plants of every State and Union Territory.
Exam angle
- Developer: CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow; place: Banthra.
- Terms: PAaVan Path, Bamboosteum, Vibhav, Bhairav.