A nature interpretation zone, developed by ICLEI South Asia in Subhash Bose Park, Kochi, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mayor Adv M Anil Kumar on the 14th of June 2022. The zone aims to raise awareness about the various ecosystems in Kochi and the biodiversity harboured in these ecosystems. It has been developed under the INTERACT-Bio project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative.
During the inauguration ceremony, a handbook on trees of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry was also released. The Fort Kochi-Mattancherry area of the Kochi Corporation is rich with the presence of 82 tree species, belonging to 31 families. The tree diversity of the area was documented by ICLEI South Asia. The handbook has maps depicting the tree cover and tree density of the area, as well as the scientific, common and local names of the species, their flowering and fruiting seasons, and the global distribution of each species.