Purabi Saikia of Banaras Hindu University, one of the winners of this year’s Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards in Environmental Science, describes how her research on India’s forest resources is important to conservation and addressing climate change.
What I do
I work in the area of plant ecology. My major area of research focuses on the quantitative ecological analysis of resources of the major tropical forests of central, eastern, northeastern and southern India, which allows us to map forest resources. We carry out ecological niche modelling of rare, endangered and threatened plant species, estimate forest productivity, and identify optimally suitable pollution-tolerant tree species for green belt development in major Indian cities.
How I do it
We go to the forests and use various sampling techniques to calculate the distribution of various species. Based on my findings, we prepare various species-specific distribution and dominance maps, in relation to forest disturbances like timber felling, fire, grazing, fuelwood collection, non-timber forest products collection, invasive species, etc.
These maps help in designing species-specific conservation interventions by various stakeholders: forest managers, practitioners, policymakers, etc. In addition to these, the forest data collected under different research and development projects is submitted to various government portals, such as the IBIN portal of the DBT, Ministry of Science and Technology,
{{/usCountry}}These maps help in designing species-specific conservation interventions by various stakeholders: forest managers, practitioners, policymakers, etc. In addition to these, the forest data collected under different research and development projects is submitted to various government portals, such as the IBIN portal of the DBT, Ministry of Science and Technology,
{{/usCountry}}Forests play a significant role in storing carbon dioxide as well as in the global carbon cycle. Understanding the ecological dynamics at play, therefore, helps in maximising the role of forests in climate change mitigation. Knowledge of forest ecology helps in developing strategies for forests to adapt to changing climate conditions, ensuring their resilience.
Understanding forest ecology helps in the sustainable management of natural resources, assuring their availability for future generations. Our work contributes to protection of biodiversity by understanding the relationships between species and their habitats
Given that many communities depend on forests for their livelihood, gathering ecological knowledge is essential to creating policies that balance economic, social, and environmental needs.