Bridgestone India Sets Up Butterfly And Bird Parks At Its Two Plants

Bridgestone India, in an initiative, has developed butterfly and bird parks at its two plants in Pune and Indore. In a total area of four acres, these parks currently have 170 butterflies and 105 bird species, as per the audit conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society.

To trace the work timeline, this project started in 2020 and to date, over 7,000 saplings of host and nectar plants have been planted to create an ecosystem for butterflies and birds. This is a rich, biodiverse ecosystem of flora and fauna that supports the butterfly life cycle and attracts them to the park, where they lay eggs and continue to feed.

The automotive sector seems to be the culprit in spreading pollution, but the success of these biodiversity parks can be gauged from the fact that when the Bombay Natural History Society conducted the audit in 2020, there were a total of 79 species of butterflies and 69 species of birds. This has now grown to a population of 170 butterflies and 105 bird species. The 2.83-acre park in Pune has 100 species of butterflies and 57 species of birds. The 1.23-acre park at Indore has 70 species of butterflies and 48 species of birds, as per the 2023 survey conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society.

“The creation and success of these bio-diversity parks showcases the co-existence of industry with nature and is in sync with Bridgestone’s global focus on being in harmony with nature. We developed this garden to also create awareness and invite school students and their families, local communities and stakeholders to visit and understand the importance of biodiversity and their role in promoting it. These parks in Pune and Indore are an example of our employees and local communities coming together towards biodiversity conservation.” Stefano Sanchini, Managing Director, Bridgestone India

The audit also revealed some new species of butterfly that are not native to Pune and Indore and were seen at the respective biodiversity parks. In Pune, a few butterflies that were quite rare to see in this area, such as Joker (Bybliailithyia), Long-Branded Bushbrown (Mycalesisvisala), Peacock Royal (Tajuriacippus), Plains Blue Royal (Tajuriajehana) and Common Shot Silverline (Spindasisictis), were sighted. While at Indore Blue Mormon (Papiliopolymnestor), Common Shot Silverline (Spindasisictis), which are rare in these parts, were sighted.