Biodiversity is the variety of life forms on earth: plants, animals, birds, fish, insects and even microorganisms found everywhere, including soil. A biodiversity register documents the living things of an area: the habitat (landscape and soil), scientific and local names, what animals eat, living things that may harm others, and more.
Recording biodiversity is crucial. Habitats change through land clearance for construction or farming and shifts in climate, so many species face extinction or become endangered. Because living things are interconnected, the loss of any species affects ecosystems, including humans. Registers also preserve useful knowledge on crops, animals, medicinal plants, pests and planting times.
For an unfamiliar living thing, ask teachers, elders or experts, use library books, search the Internet, or use mobile apps.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Same across languages, so everyone refers to the same living thing |
| Variety | Differences within a similar plant, e.g. mangoes Alphonso, Kesar, Totapuri, Dasheri, Langra |
| Cropping season | Season in which a crop is grown |
| Season of fruiting | When fruit trees bear fruit |
| Source of seeds/plants | How new plants grow: seeds, seedlings, bulbs, stem cuttings |
| Affected crop | A crop damaged by pests, diseases or other reasons |
| Host | A plant or animal on which others live, e.g. dogs for fleas |
| Pests | Insects, birds or animals harmful to plants |
| Pesticide | Prevents harm by pests; liquid, solid or gas |
| Weedicide | Prevents harm to plants by weeds |
| GI tag | Geographical Indication: grown in a specific region, high-standard produce, e.g. Navara rice (Kerala), Basmati (Uttarakhand), Gobind Bhog (West Bengal), Jalgaon bananas |
You need a notebook, pen, eraser, scale and sharpener; a magnifying glass for details; and a borrowed camera or smartphone for photos, videos, audio and identification. Even with photos, you must make sketches of everything in the register.
In Activity 1, note familiar living things, their names in many languages and where they are found; each plant supports a tiny cosmos of insects, spiders, squirrels and birds. In Activity 2, invite experts such as a forest officer, farmer, conservationist or a Vaid/Vaidya (traditional medicine expert) with prepared questions.
Choose places you can reach quickly: around school, water bodies, home, farms, parks, nurseries, religious places and markets. Work in groups of at most 5, consult local experts and schedule visits at different times of the year to see seasonal change. Carry binoculars, a magnifying lens, a camera, field guides and a notebook.
For each visit, note the date, location, habitat type and weather. Share observations, add new information on every visit, sketch or photograph unfamiliar living things, and speak to the teacher before leaving any part blank.
| Table | Example | Local name | Scientific name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop | Onion | Kanda (Marathi), Vengayam (Tamil), Pyaaz (Hindi) | Allium cepa | Variety Pachaganga; seeds, bulbs or transplants |
| Fruit | Mango | Amba | Mangifera indica | Alphonso; grafting or seeding; fruits in summer; GI tag |
| Fodder | Napier (elephant) grass | Hatti govat (Marathi) | Pennisetum purpureum | Pusa giant; stem cuttings or splits; sown February to March |
| Weed | Bermuda grass | Haral (Marathi) | Cynodon dactylon | Tolerates heat and drought; used in playgrounds |
| Pest | Aphid on potato | Aloo (Hindi) for potato | Myzus persicae, Aphis gossypii; potato Solanum tuberosum | Under leaves; winged or wingless; attacks after winter |
Missing information can come from experts, community members, the library or AI tools. Google Lens is an image recognition technology using machine learning and OCR (Optical Character Recognition). It identifies objects, reads text, translates languages and scans barcodes and QR codes. Open the app, tap the Lens icon in the search bar, point the camera and tap the shutter button.
The Season Watch website lets you register a tree near you and upload photographs every week.
The presentation is based only on your own observations and information, using charts, diagrams or models.
| Part 1: Summary for a visitor | Part 2: Going beyond |
|---|---|
| Which plants grow around you; which are seasonal | Were there more living things in one place than another? |
| Are crops and fruits harvested in the same season? Do all plants flower together? | How many varieties of plants and pests did you see? |
| Is fodder available all year? | Did the same insects appear in several places? |
| Are plants affected by weeds and pests? Are some weeds useful? | Which AI tools or other sources did you use? |
| What did the community share (medicinal, fodder, sacred plants)? | Your conclusion or reflection |
Also ask experts what measures can preserve local biodiversity, and ask community members how biodiversity has changed over the last 10 or 20 years.
Biodiversity Heritage Sites are areas recognised for unique biodiversity, protected to conserve it and respect traditional cultural practices linked to nature.
| Site | What is special |
|---|---|
| Nallur Tamarind Grove, Karnataka | Tamarind trees over 400 years old |
| Gogabeel, Bihar | Over 90 bird species, some from Central Asia |
| Tonglu, West Bengal | Plants found nowhere else |
| Ameenpur Lake, Hyderabad | Over 200 bird species in a busy city |
| Majuli, Assam | Biggest river island; monasteries called Satras |
| Myristica swamps, Kerala | Ancient nutmeg (Jayafala) trees |
| Kali Tiger Reserve, Karnataka | Bengal tigers and elephants |
| Chilkigarh Kanak Durga Sacred Grove, West Bengal | Medicinal plants, protected by local people |
| Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh | Rice and fish grown together |
| Mawphlang Sacred Grove, Meghalaya | Rare plants and medicinal herbs, protected by tribes |
Birds like kites and animals like mongooses living in cities are called urban wildlife. Students can keep a nature journal or digital scrapbook, observe birds visiting home, and ask elders which birds and animals they saw when young. Related jobs: forest officer, scientist and conservationist.