Campus Biodiversity Group
Campus Biodiversity Group
With the landscape of IIT Kanpur evolving at a drastic pace, there seems to be a necessity to document the local biodiversity changes annually. Several initiatives to do the same have been executed/are ongoing, thanks to enthusiastic volunteers from IITK, highlights of which are exhibited here. These include the Campus Bird Count (organized by Bird Count India) and the Campus Biodiversity Register (CBR) ("A nationwide biodiversity documentation initiative for college campuses" organized by the Nature on Campus team at the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), together with the National Biodiversity Authority, Government of India"). If you are a bird/biodiversity enthusiast and want to join the community, please email pmoise@iitk.ac.in.
List of birds spotted on campus (~150 species): Click here
List of other vertebrates spotted on campus (~30 species): Click here
List of butterflies and moths spotted on campus (~120 species): Click here
List of other insects spotted on campus (~180 species): Click here
List of other invertebrates spotted on campus (~50 species): Click here
List of flora and fungi spotted on campus: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
We welcome anyone with a bit of curiosity to join us. No prior experience needed!
In addition to collating and adding photos on this website, as part of the national CBR initiative, we report and document the biodiversity in campus systematically through these three apps:
eBird: For documenting and counting birds in a given time period in a given location. Best used in combination with Merlin Bird ID App (Photo/Sound ID). To be counted as part of the national CBR, bird checklists submitted on eBird should be added with the project code: https://ebird.org/projects/1058/about?joincode=98AE5AD599.
iNaturalist: Photographic evidence of any living species can be documented here along with location. IIT Kanpur's boundaries are already mapped as part of CBR and any submissions will automatically be added to the project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/indian-institute-of-technology-kanpur
SeasonWatch: Focuses on trees and how they vary over months (e.g., seasons associated with fruits, flowers and leaves).