Inside Visakhapatnam’s 25-year-old Biodiversity Park

The first time I saw a small spider brush against a leaf and disappear into the toothed rim of a pitcher plant, it felt as though an unfamiliar chapter of Nature had quietly opened. Earlier, another plant had drawn my attention for an equally gentle response. A leaf folded inward the moment it was touched. Nearby, a lantern-red flower swayed and rotated in the breeze, almost as though guided by an unseen rhythm.

These moments did not unfold in a distant wilderness. They occurred on a regular morning within the Biodiversity Park located inside the campus of Rani Chandramani Devi Government Hospital at Peda Waltair in Visakhapatnam.

A bee feeds on a passion flower (Passiflora vitifolia) in full bloom at the Biodiversity Park, located on the premises of RCD Hospital, in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
KR Deepak

The park, maintained by the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society (DNCS) with support from the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), shelters nearly 2,500 plant species. As the green space marked its silver jubilee this week, the milestone reflected the quiet persistence of a botanical refuge that has taken root in the city’s collective memory.

Living archive

Spread across several thematic sections, the garden brings together desert and cactus collections, orchids, rare and endemic medicinal plants, succulents and a greenhouse with delicate specimens. Among its most striking residents is Ginkgo biloba, a relic from the Mesozoic era that has survived millennia of environmental shifts. Each pathway reveals an assortment of forms and textures that introduce visitors to the varied strategies through which plant life adapts and survives.

Mantha Rama Murty and his wife Mangathayi Mantha, founders of the Biodiversity Park in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
K R Deepak

The park traces its beginnings to 2001, when naturalist Mantha Rama Murty and his wife Mangathayi Mantha expanded their earlier environmental efforts into a structured conservation space. Their work had already included snake awareness programmes, surveys of Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting along the coast and educational initiatives through the Penguin Nature Club before the formation of DNCS. The couple along with a team of students and volunteers managed to turn a piece of barren land into a thriving heritage of biodiversity over the years. Today the park is visited by students across educational institutions from Andhra Pradesh and beyond as well as by Nature lovers.

Leaf library

Within the park, each section serves as both botanical display and informal classroom. School groups arrive to observe plant adaptations first-hand, while researchers and hobbyists explore the diversity within the grounds. The collection includes rare bonsai trees nurtured by Mangathayi, medicinal plants used in traditional remedies and several unusual ornamentals including pitcher plants and bromeliads. Over the years the site has recorded around 125 species of butterflies and nearly 60 species of birds within an urban landscape.

The silver jubilee year has introduced several additions intended to strengthen its educational role. A butterfly garden now allows visitors to observe different stages in the insect’s lifecycle. A dedicated bonsai section, herbarium and the renovated Green Knowledge and Bio-Innovation Centre have also been established.

Rama Murty explains that the intention is to broaden the park’s role beyond display. “The Bio-Innovation Centre will present projects that explain the lifecycle of butterflies, seed diversity and plant collections, among other things. We hope to work closely with educational institutions so that the park functions as a learning space and remains an inviting destination for nature enthusiasts visiting Visakhapatnam.”

Physical improvements have also altered the visitor experience. Cement benches placed under mature trees now allow small groups to gather for discussions or simply relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. A newly-installed granite plaque titled Founders’ Note records the early struggles and determination that shaped the Biodiversity Park during its formative years.

The value of such living collections is receiving attention worldwide. A recent study published in the journal Nature Plants by researchers associated with more than 50 botanic gardens has warned that fragmented or incompatible data systems are weakening plant research and conservation efforts at a crucial moment. The report points at climate change, invasive species, habitat decline and the rapid global movement of plant material as challenges that require reliable and shared information networks.

Living collections, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions of the Global South, therefore carry significance that extends beyond their immediate surroundings. Accurate documentation and open access to plant data, researchers argue, can strengthen conservation responses and scientific understanding.

Rama Murty believes the local initiative can also contribute to that wider awareness. “If the park is to remain a respected public space, visitors must treat it responsibly. We intend to introduce a clear code of conduct that includes a strict no-plastic policy, penalties for littering and a prohibition on plucking plants. Security cameras and guards working in shifts will help maintain these rules.”

The park is open to visitors from 9am till 4pm on all days.