The Greening of India’s Capital City

India’s capital city has a luscious little secret — it’s greener than it seems. The noise is big, the crowds are bigger, and crossing the road is downright terrifying. But concrete, dust, and traffic aside, Delhi has something for nature lovers, too. Nearly 10% of the city is covered in parks and gardens — paradoxical emerald jewels brightening Delhi’s smog-induced monochromatism. Spanning the gamut from manicured to wild, they are nothing short of necessary for a city deemed one of the world’s most polluted. The most prolific of the bunch are Delhi’s biodiversity parks — formerly barren plots restored to native habitats, some hundreds of acres in size and home to free-ranging fauna such as jungle cats, civets, and jackals.