CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

Director's Desk

Let me begin with extending heartfelt good wishes for NEERI Biodiversity Portal (NBP) being launched at CSIR-NEERI foundation day 2015. I feel privileged to state that NEERI has unique biodiversity rich campus. Over the years, through various interventions NEERI urban forests have evolved as a nature interpretation and learning center. NEERI urban forests also serve well for ex-situ conservation site for biodiversity. Carving a special niche for ensuring environmental conservation and sustainable development across India, the Institute has taken significant steps. These efforts have brought national as well as international appreciation being innovative and effective solutions and today I am sure this portal is going to be one of them. Institute has lush green urban forests with native and exotic species which ameliorate soil quality and enhance fresh air by sequestering large amount of carbon. The campus is bestowed with good reptile, amphibian, avifaunal, macro as well as meso-faunal diversity. Campus with diverse habitats and smaller water bodies attracts a variety of pollinators and also agents of seed dispersal. Overall the institute is counted for having healthy biodiversity which also provides an array of ecosystem services that improves quality of life for people working in the institute. NBP provides a wide variety of information and benefits of campus biodiversity. It includes online knowledge resource and database of urban forests of NEERI, Nagpur. The available description would not only assist in learning and identifying them but also stimulate interest of common man towards biodiversity and need of conservation. More importantly, this innovative biodiversity portal (NBP) will be strengthening involvement of multiple stakeholders in the organization and beyond. The portal is also expected to be of interest to researchers, professionals, policy makers, educators, naturalists, hobbyists, students, as well as curious citizens. I am glad and feeling proud that this portal is going to become a milestone in the field of biodiversity and citizen science initiatives. NBP adds to my great optimism that will help reinstate the environmental integrity by preparing the generation next and sensitizing one and all to appreciate and conserve our biodiversity.

Director CSIR NEERI