City Forest: Mumbai’s National Park

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a tropical wilderness within the limits of Mumbai, virtually unknown to most people outside the city. A protected area of almost 9,000 hectares, the park is fringed by a burgeoning population of more than twelve million people and is possibly India’s most visited nature reserve. With over 200 stunning photographs, City Forest: Mumbai’s National Park is a visual celebration of the forest’s remarkable biodiversity, offering a glimpse into the secret world of its wildlife. The park is home to 274 kinds of birds, just under a quarter of India’s avifauna; 42 kinds of mammals, of which the most renowned is the elusive leopard; 150 species of butterflies and nearly 8,000 species of other insects; and so much more. It has a floral extravagance of nearly 800 species of flowering plants from humble herbs and woody climbers to sturdy teak trees, and a diversity of habitat types. A veritable field laboratory teeming with an amazing variety of life forms – much of which has yet to be documented – the forest is threatened by the inherent problem of an encroaching population. An ideal getaway from the polluted city, this peerless wilderness also provides people with a unique opportunity for nature study, and environment and conservation education.