IIT Bombay students map trees, record 40 species in phase 1
As part of the first phase of the exercise, students from the Green Campus department, under the National Service Scheme (NSS) at IIT-B, carried out a tree census along the 1.6km-long main road and recorded a total of 200 trees of 40 species. The census will be completed by April.
Students from the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-B) have started a study to map and document trees inside the 550-acre Powai campus.
As part of the first phase of the exercise, students from the Green Campus department, under the National Service Scheme (NSS) at IIT-B, carried out a tree census along the 1.6km-long main road and recorded a total of 200 trees of 40 species. The census will be completed by April.
The campus is at the southern end of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, bordered by hills on one end and the Powai and Vihar lakes on the other. The good green cover around it prompted students to spread awareness among campus residents about the species of trees there and their benefits.
“We covered the trees along the main road, from the entry gate that runs through the campus to the hostels. The idea is to create awareness and tell campus residents, some of whom have lived here for decades, about the different species,” said Yash Sanghvi, overall coordinator, NSS, IIT-B.
He added that the 100 students — 90 volunteers, activity associates and department heads — were part of the tree count. “We used a 2008 report by the World Wide Fund for Nature as reference, since that is the only available documentation of tree species on campus,” said Sanghvi.
Th estudents tied low-cost placards to the trees. They feature the tree’s common name, botanical name and how they are useful. A database has also been put together with details on the exact location of each tree. “Most campus residents are not aware of the kind of trees they live close to. Our institute’s nursery helped us identify most of them,” he said.
Students on campus were astonished after the database of the unique tree species was shared with them. “I’ve spent three years in the campus but never paid any attention to such diversity and always thought that all trees were similar,” said Shreerang Kaore, a third-year mechanical engineering student. “I realised only after seeing the placards and observing the features and uses of each tree that the campus is rich in floral biodiversity.”
Preliminary list of indigenous and exotic tree species on IIT B campus
•Rain Tree (Samanea Saman)
•Nilgiri (Eucalyptus Globulus)
•Khair (Acacia Catechu)
•Mango (Mangifera Indica)
•Banyan (Ficus Bengalensis)
•Vilayati Chinch (Pithecolobium Dulce)
•Palas (Butea Monosperma)
•Bitti (Thevetia peruviana)
•Ratangunj (Abrus Precatorius)
•Khajur (Phoenix Sylvestris)
•Bakul (Mimusops elangi)
•Kanchan (Bauhinia Variegata)
•Dhaman (Grewia tiliaefolia)
•Bottle Palm (Roystonea Regia)
•Taad (Borassus Flabellifer)
(Source: Green Campus department under the National Service Scheme (NSS), IIT-B)
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