Extensive tulip flower gardens having varieties of colours raised in Kashmir valley are one of its chief attractions. After Dal lake, the tourists get maximum enjoyment by visiting the Mugal Garden at Gulmarg, several other gardens, temples, mosques and handicraft centres across Jammu and Kashmir.
Tulip is one of the various spring blooming bulb-plants having long broad pointed leaves and single showy belt shaped flowers. These showy species are high altitudinal plants and prefer cold climate ranging a temperature from minus degree temperature to 250 Celsius.
These species flower in summer. The tourists are generally attracted to the hill stations during summers, thanks to the tulip beauty.
Odisha has a wider field to grow the flower. Moist atmosphere with perfect facility of irrigation is needed for this blooming plant whose glow stay for months. The species needs very cold atmospheric conditions, where mercury goes below minus degree temperature.
We have such places in Odisha. The tropical pines are raised very successfully within Odisha in Daringbadi of Phulbani district, Dhudura Champa in Similipal forests of Mayurbhanja district and in Koraput hills. The tourism industry can take up extensive cultivation of tulip for attraction of tourists within the State. Daringbadi is very much known as summer capital of Odisha. The Meghasini hill of Similipal also is known as a summer resort. These places are most important from tourism point of view.
The green variations of landscapes of Odisha, including sea coasts and hill slopes, can add to the tourism potential and generate employment opportunities in urban areas. Recently, the agriculture and horticulture departments have undertaken different types of experimental works in Derash area of Chandaka on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar which still has dense forests of bamboos and other tropical and sub- tropical species of evergreen and semi- evergreen types. Due to presence of various parental water sources and woody vegetations, the area sustains moist ecosystems as compared to other parts of Chandaka forests. Because of dense bamboo forests, most of the herbivores, including large animals like elephant and bovines, prefer to stay in the land. The entire Chandaka forests are now being encroached due to its proximity to the capital city of Bhubaneswar.
Here, a tulip garden can be tried to attract tourists to Derash in summer. This is a very good biosphere where various flower species can be grown. There are more than 80 epiphytic orchids as well as land orchids available in Odisha. There are places like Similipal, Rebana–Kalapata of Keonjhar district, Satkoshia sanctuary of Angul, Daspala- Boud forests, Karlapata forests of Kalahandi, Sunabeda forests of Nuapada, Badarama sanctuary of Sambalpur etc, which are very suitable for raising various orchids for entertaining the visitors of the State and outside through modified ecological systems.
Gurgudia is another rich ecosystem whose moist climate always prevails throughout the year. Its soil is very fertile to sustain the eco-climatic compositions of the Similipal zone. Gurgudia is gateway of Similipal sanctuary. A few decades before when the Similipal forest development corporation was in force, one garden of orchids was established at Gurdgudia. The orchids were collected from various parts of the State and neighboring States. It was quite successful.
This is also a best place for raising tulip plants to raise the importance of Similipal hills cum Similipal biosphere. There is a perennial water channel in the Similipal hills and irrigation down, which would be ideal for the tulip flowers.
Though there are certain species which grow in a particular eco climatic region, they too can be grown successfully for economic dividends in other climatic conditions with certain alterations. There are various degraded eco- systems in our State, which can be developed from tourism point of view. In respect of eco– tourism, our State is very poor as compared to eastern States of India. So, sanctuaries like Bhitarakanika, Hadagarh Nandankana, Baisipali Kothagarh, Khalasuni, Chandaka, Damopara, Khalasuni, Balukhand–Konark, Kaldhia, Debrigarh, lakhri valley, Chilika and Badarama etc can be brought under landscape management for sustainable future of our bio- aesthetic resources.
Bio-aesthetic avenue plantations should be carried out on road sides of each national and State high ways having massive bio- mass, which can prevent effects of sun. Most evergreen trees such as banyan, pipal, hati and dimbri can be raised to tackle atmospheric heat. If the avenue plantations of Bhubaneswar city are considered, it will be seen that most of the non evergreen deciduous plants having shallow root systems have been planted which are prone to storm and cyclone.
Such trees are Krushna Chuda, Spathodia, Radhachuda and Kadamba etc most of which have showy flowers. But they are brittle and have shallow roots and hence, get uprooted during storm. Besides, they do not create massive bio- mass. So such trees should not be selected for road side plantations. All kinds of avenue trees within the cities should be ever green trees. It is observed that the avenue trees planted along the city roads of Bhubaneswar are artificially made branchy and dwarf. This is sheer nonsense.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist)