'Kolkata, Hyderabad schools more willing to document climate change'

Schools in Kolkata and Hyderabad showed the maximum willingness to document urban biodiversity and developed a strong database of the changing trends using mobile apps for climate change, it was announced here on Wednesday.

As many as 10 Kolkata schools presented their findings based on the use of Android apps meant for mapping trees, butterflies and birds.

The iTrees, iBirds and iButterflies mobile apps citizen science initiative was developed by a Mumbai-based social enterprise and implemented in collaboration with WWF in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad besides Kolkata.

"In terms of recording biodiversity, schools in Kolkata and Hyderabad took the lead. The schools in these cities were more willing to use technology for documenting changes in urban areas," said V. Shubhalaxmi, director of the Mumbai-based Ladybird Sustainability Consulting and one of the founders of the apps.

She said a total of 2771 species were fed by the participating schools through the freely downloadable and offline apps which can identify 50 species each of trees, birds and butterflies that are commonly found in urban areas.

Shubhalaxmi, a Fulbright fellow, said these indicators can offer insights into the ongoing process of environmental change.

"Students went beyond the limit and documented more varieties than the 150 available in the database. This can be done by clicking the picture and sending it to us. A group of scientists will identify the species and send the information," she said.

However, she lamented the restrictions on mobile phone use in schools.

According to student Swmaranika Samanta, a class 9 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William, their team of six had to scout around locations outside the school like a cemetery, the Botanical Gardens in Shibpur and other suburbs, to efficiently collect data.

"We have a variety of plants, trees and butterflies and birds in our school itself. But we had to make sure of complying with school norms because of earlier incidents of misuse," Samanta said during the presentation, adding the technology has got her and her friends hooked onto tracking nature.

According to Saswati Sen, state director of WWF-India, the mobile apps are a step ahead since they combine technology and academics to generate interest among the youth.

"Usually students are too busy with their curriculum to notice what is changing in the surroundings. Technology can help foster interest since they are usually into mobile phones and gadgets. But schools are in a dilemma over mobile phone use since it would be difficult to track how they are using it," Sen said.

The data collected from 43 participating schools across the four cities will be compiled into a report to be released in June, Shubhalaxmi said.