230 tree species on 5 CU campuses, Ballygunge Science College tops list
Times of India | 22 July 2024
Kolkata: To enrich ecosystem within the campuses, Calcutta University has launched a census and documentation of woody plant species across Ballygunge Science College, Rajabazar Science College, College Street, New Alipore College and Viharilal College for Home and Social Science campuses. The exercise is being carried out by Debabrata Maity, associate professor of botany and his team.The team identified about 230 species on five campuses, among them some are “endangered” or even “critically endangered” species.
Interim VC Shanta Datta said, “When I became the VC, one of my main aims was to conserve the ecosystem of the campuses. Hence, we initiated the census to keep a record and familiarize different species with our stakeholders.” Green coloured plaques are attached to the plants with botanical name, family name, common names, including Bengali names, edible and medicinal uses to generate awareness. One can also scan the provided QR codes to get more information.
Ballygunge Science College is one of the best living repositories with 194 species followed by Viharilal College with 92 species, Rajabazar Science College with 37 species, Alipore campus with 29 species and College Street campus with 20 species.
“This move will not only support the study of species diversity, but also assess the risks of invasive species, carbon sequestration, groundwater management, and air quality. The data can also be used to develop practical management on replacement of existing species, ” said Maity. The campuses have trees like mango, krishnachura, coconut, banyan, jarul, neem, jackfruit, guava and chhatim. Some of the oldest trees at CU campuses include a tamarind tree at Viharilal College and wild almond tree at Ballygunge Science College.
“We also have many species of trees that are categorized as “threatened species” according to the IUCN Red List. There are “critically endangered” species like Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) and “endangered species” like Sundari (Heritiera fomes). A prized medicinal plant - Madagascar corkwood (Commiphora madagascariensis) falls under the “near threatened” category),” said Maity.
Datta said the university will also publish a user-friendly guide with relevant information on each species.