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Environment & Climate3 Nov 2026 · about 7 min

An 18-Acre Forest Is Growing Inside This Hyderabad Development!

The brief

A Miyawaki forest is a compact, densely planted forest made mainly from native species. The approach aims to create layers of vegetation that resemble a natural forest. It matters in cities because development can reduce habitats, while a carefully planned forest can give plants and wildlife space to return. At Stonecraft Woods Shamshabad, 18 acres of a 60-acre development were dedicated to such a forest. The site now contains 4.5 lakh native trees, 141 bird species and more than 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. Its diversity sets it apart from a simple row of planted trees. An ordinary urban plantation may focus on appearance, shade or a limited selection of trees. A Miyawaki forest focuses on native variety and ecological relationships. The Hyderabad project shows how development can include a substantial habitat area, not just isolated ornamental planting. It offers another way to think about building in a city.

01

What is a Miyawaki forest, and how is it different from an ordinary urban plantation?

A Miyawaki forest is a compact, densely planted forest made mainly from native species. The approach aims to create layers of vegetation that resemble a natural forest. It matters in cities because development can reduce habitats, while a carefully planned forest can give plants and wildlife space to return.

At Stonecraft Woods Shamshabad, 18 acres of a 60-acre development were dedicated to such a forest. The site now contains 4.5 lakh native trees, 141 bird species and more than 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. Its diversity sets it apart from a simple row of planted trees.

An ordinary urban plantation may focus on appearance, shade or a limited selection of trees. A Miyawaki forest focuses on native variety and ecological relationships. The Hyderabad project shows how development can include a substantial habitat area, not just isolated ornamental planting. It offers another way to think about building in a city.

02

How large is the forest, and how many trees and plant species does it contain?

The Miyawaki forest at Stonecraft Woods Shamshabad covers 18 acres. These 18 acres form part of a larger 60-acre development. The scale is significant because the project sets aside a large, continuous area for a forest rather than scattering a few trees through built spaces.

The forest contains 4.5 lakh native trees. It also includes over 153 species of medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plants. The site is home to 141 bird species. Together, these figures show that the forest is not simply a collection of planted trees. It is a varied living space with multiple kinds of plants and wildlife.

These numbers provide a clear measure of the project’s ambition. The forest combines area, plant abundance and species diversity within one development. As Hyderabad’s grasslands shrink, the site demonstrates how an urban project can reserve meaningful space for native vegetation and habitat. The article presents it as a different perspective on building.

03

Why was part of this 60-acre development set aside for a forest as Hyderabad’s grasslands are shrinking?

Hyderabad’s grasslands are shrinking as the city grows. That background makes the forest important. When urban development takes more land, setting aside space for vegetation can help preserve places where plants and wildlife exist. The project therefore links construction with an attempt to make room for nature.

At Stonecraft Woods Shamshabad, 18 acres of the 60-acre development were dedicated to a Miyawaki forest. This is not a small decorative patch. The area supports 4.5 lakh native trees, 141 bird species and over 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. The figures show what the reserved space contains.

The project offers a different perspective on how cities can be built. It does not remove development from the picture. Instead, it includes a substantial forest within the development. With grasslands shrinking, this approach could encourage future projects to consider habitat as part of urban planning, though the article does not state what other developments will do.

04

How did people create the forest, including identifying native plants and rescuing century-old trees?

Creating the forest involved more than planting trees at random. The project team identified native plant species, helping determine which vegetation belonged in the local setting. This matters because a forest built around native plants can reflect the region’s natural character and provide a stronger basis for local habitat.

The work also included rescuing century-old trees. These mature trees brought an existing history and scale into the new forest. Alongside them, the site developed a collection of native trees and more than 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. The article connects these actions with the forest’s creation.

The result is a landscape shaped by both conservation and new planting. It contains 4.5 lakh native trees and supports 141 bird species. The article does not describe every step or identify the people who carried out the work. It does show that the forest emerged through species identification, tree rescue and the deliberate assembly of diverse plant life.

05

What happens to urban biodiversity when a forest provides habitat for birds and a wide range of flowering, fruiting, medicinal and aromatic plants?

Urban biodiversity means the variety of living organisms found in a city. A forest with many plant types can offer more kinds of food, shelter and growing space than a landscape with only a few species. This matters as Hyderabad’s grasslands shrink and natural habitats face pressure from growth.

At Stonecraft Woods Shamshabad, the forest is home to 141 bird species. It also contains over 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. These categories indicate a varied plant community, while the bird count shows that the site provides habitat used by wildlife. The forest therefore functions as more than a visual green space.

Its wider consequence is the creation of a richer urban habitat inside a development. Birds and plants become part of the city’s living landscape rather than being excluded by construction. The article presents this as a different model for building. It does not measure future changes in biodiversity, but the existing figures show substantial variety already present at the site.

06

How does planting native species differ from using mostly ornamental or non-native plants in urban landscaping?

Native planting begins with species that belong to the local ecological setting. Ornamental or non-native landscaping may instead choose plants mainly for appearance, novelty or garden design. The difference is important because native plant selection can make urban green spaces more closely connected to the surrounding landscape and its wildlife.

The Stonecraft Woods project identified native plant species and planted 4.5 lakh native trees. Its forest also includes over 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species, and it supports 141 bird species. These facts show a landscape built around variety and habitat, rather than a narrow collection of decorative plants.

The article does not compare this forest with a specific ornamental landscape or provide survival rates. It does show an alternative principle for urban landscaping: select native species, retain valuable old trees and create a diverse plant community. In a city where grasslands are shrinking, that approach can give development a stronger relationship with local nature.

07

Why can a diverse mix of native plants support a functioning ecosystem, with food webs and habitats, even inside a city?

A functioning ecosystem needs more than one kind of plant. Different native plants can occupy different spaces and offer different resources, such as flowers, fruits, foliage and shelter. Those resources can support relationships among plants, birds and other organisms. In a city, this diversity can help a green space behave more like habitat than decoration.

Stonecraft Woods demonstrates the idea through its scale and variety. The 18-acre forest contains 4.5 lakh native trees and over 153 medicinal, aromatic, fruiting and flowering plant species. It is also home to 141 bird species. The article does not list particular food chains, but these figures show a broad mix of plants and wildlife sharing one site.

This matters because the forest is inside a 60-acre development, not outside the city. It shows that habitat and construction can occupy the same wider project. As Hyderabad’s grasslands shrink, diverse native planting could influence how future urban developments plan green space, although the article does not describe future projects.

This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.

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