IIT Roorkee biodiversity report by Wildlife Institute of India records 304 plant species

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee biodiversity report was released by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, giving a detailed insight into the flora and fauna of the IITR campus. During the process, the WII recorded about 304 species of plants, including the discovery of Typhoniuminopinatum, a herbaceous plant, for the first time in Uttarakhand state.

During the wildlife survey which lasted for five months, about 304 species of plants were recorded, out of which, about 291 species were flowering plants. According to the report, there are about 140 species of trees on the campus, followed by 91 species of herbs, 45 shrub species, and 28 species of climbing plants. The report also includes pictures of various species on campus. IIT Roorkee claims that the document will help naturalists and serve as a field guide for everyone.

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“Human influence is accelerating climate change, thus raising serious environmental concerns globally. Thus, it was time to look back to nature to adopt more sustainable ways of living, keeping in mind the future of our planet. It all starts with one’s immediate surroundings and fortunately for us our IIT Roorkee campus is blessed with large green areas that rightly qualifies our campus as an “Urban Greenspace”. And to further our continuous efforts to protect the environment, a collaborative study with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun was initiated and the result is an inventory of the floral and faunal wealth of the campus. Through this document, I am sure many of our faculty, students and staff, and others within the campus, and elsewhere, will be further inspired by Nature,” said professor Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, director of IIT Roorkee.

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Dhananjai Mohan, IFS, the director of the Wildlife Institute of India said that he hopes that the publication will inculcate interest among the campus inmates in the conservation of nature.