Moss is one of the most ancient floras on the planet, which are said to have been present since Jurassic era. They are the first plants to grow on rocky while helping to create a suitable environment for other plants to grow. They are usually 0.210 cm tall.
First Moss Garden of India
- India’s first moss garden has been developed at Khurpatal in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. It was inaugurated by the ‘Water Man of India’ Rajendra Singh.
- The moss garden was approved by the Uttarakhand Forest Department, under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme, in July 2019.
- It aims to conserve various species of moss and other bryophytes and highlight its significance in the environment.
- The garden possesses around 30 different species of moss including Brachythecium Buchanani and Hyophila involuta (Cement Moss), which are listed in International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list. The garden also houses many bryophyte species.
- The garden also has a moss trail of 1.2 kilometers. It also has a dinosaur model depicting the existence of mosses from Jurassic era, moss terrarium, ornaments made of live moss, etc.
As per the experts, a total of 2300 moss species are found in India and out of this 339 species are found in the state of Uttarakhand.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
CAMPA was set up as National Advisory Council under the Union Minister of Environment & Forests after the order of the Supreme Court of India on July 10, 2009. It was set up to monitor, provide technical assistance and evaluate compensatory afforestation activities.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act was in 2016 and the rules were notified in the year 2018.
