The Biodiversity Map of Delhi

(click on the image for a larger view)

It is easy to dismiss Delhi as the world's most polluted capital. But Delhi's choking rivers, stifled city forests, disappearing ridges and wetlands are still home to a stunning array of biodiversity. Migratory birds thronging on the banks of the Yamuna, bats flying out of its famed monuments, Nilgai bumping into joggers in city parks like Jahanpana Forest, and leopards, jackals and hyenas scrambling for refuge in the remaining vestiges of the Aravalli ridges are still occurrences in a city characterised by unplanned suburban expansion and an ever-growing human population. Delhi's proximity to India's oldest mountain range, the Aravallis, blesses the national capital with a diversity in vegetation like no other, with ridge specialties like the Dhok, Pilkhan and varius hill shrubs rubbing shoulders with Red Silk Cotton lining the capital's avenues. Endangered birds like the Egyptian Vulture make Delhi's busy highways its home, and Greater Flamingos, Pallid Scops Owls and migratory raptors still make its wetlands their winter home. 

In a city that withstands ecological annihilation from unmitigated development every week, wildlife fights for survival and space alongside Delhi's citizens. I hope that this map of the biodiversity of the capital will play a part in giving prominence to aspects of Delhi that the real estate industry would prefer to render invisible to the city's residents.

A huge thanks to Ms. Monalisa Sen of ICLEI South Asia for commissioning the illustration! The illustration is a freely downloadable resource available on ICLEI's website. 

Special thanks to my friend, wildlife conservationist and author Neha Sinha for her breakout publication 'Wild Capital' which served as an indispensable resource in the process of creating this illustration. 

Some snippets from the map are below-

Endemic Birds of Taiwan

With stars like the Taiwan Blue Magpie and the Swinhoe's Pheasant to rarities like the Taiwan Thrush- meet all the thirty Taiwan endemic bird species in this new illustration! 

Prints, tees and merchandise out on my Redbubble store here, shipped worldwide.

Jessami - an Illustrated Biodiversity Map

Last year in March, commissioned by Roundglass Sustain, I travelled to Jessami, a Naga village in the remote north-eastern corner of Manipur. Inhabited primarily by members of the Chakhesang tribe, Jessami's residents have historically hunted birds and other wildlife as means of sustenance. Now, the village and its residents are actively involved in the conservation of the region's birdlife and wildlife, with Manipur's State Bird the Hume's Pheasant being the cornerstone and the pride of the village.

This illustrated map details Jessami's rich biodiversity- to be used both as a handy tool for locals and guides, as well as collectibles and souvenirs for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. The map's visual style and illustrated elements pay homage to weavers of the Chakhesang community, whose art is passed only in person intergenerationally, and created seldom with any monetary motive!

A big thanks to Neha Dara and Megha Moorthy of Roundglass Sustain for trusting me with this project, Weyepe Mekrisuh and Asset Weyzah for guiding me during my field visit and for sharing their immense knowledge of local history, topography and culture with me. Thanks also to Mr. Weyzah for opening the doors of his home to me, where Mrs. Weyzah generously taught me her family recipe of Eromba, and where his uncles and aunts gave me invaluable insights into the community's art and fabric.

I urge fellow birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts as well as those looking for enriching artistic and ethnographic experiences, to visit Jessami and support the Jessami Village Council's efforts to sustain the tourism models that they have instituted to safeguard the avifauna and the wildlife of the region, including the iconic Hume's Pheasant, an IUCN Vulnerable species. More information about Jessami can be accessed on this Roundglass Sustain article of which this map illustration is a part.