In News:

The Supreme Court has permitted the Uttar Pradesh Government to proceed with the Kukrail Night Safari and Zoological Park Project at Kukrail Reserve Forest, Lucknow. Once completed, it will become India's first Night Safari and the fifth in the world, after those in Singapore, Thailand, China, and Indonesia.

Note: In Ashok Kumar Sharma (IFS) vs Union of India, the Supreme Court directed that no final approval for any zoo or safari project can be granted without prior permission of the Court.

About Kukrail Reserve Forest

Kukrail Reserve Forest is a Reserved Forest notified in 1950 and located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Spread over nearly 4,500 acres, it forms the city's largest contiguous green cover and plays a crucial ecological role.

The forest derives its name from the Kukrail Stream, a tributary of the Gomti River.

Ecological Importance

The reserve functions as the green lung of Lucknow, providing multiple ecosystem services such as:

• Carbon sequestration
• Air purification
• Groundwater recharge
• Urban temperature regulation
• Climate resilience

Besides supporting urban biodiversity, it serves as an important habitat for birds, reptiles, butterflies, and small mammals while maintaining the ecological health of the Kukrail stream.

Kukrail Gharial Rehabilitation Centre (KGRC)

A major conservation feature of the reserve is the Kukrail Gharial Rehabilitation Centre, established in 1975. It is India's first gharial conservation centre, created to support the recovery of the Critically Endangered Gharial through captive breeding and rehabilitation programmes.