According to Nitin Walmiki, a naturalist who is part of the NGO Echo Eco, the idea was to create an awareness about Matheran's biodiversity.
The smallest hill station in India, Matheran, will observe International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, by not only raising a voice highlighting need for better protection, but also by holding a 'Biodiversity Race' for nature enthusiasts. This will be the first of its kind baseline survey of species found at this biodiversity hotspot.
According to Nitin Walmiki, a naturalist who is part of the NGO Echo Eco, the idea was to create an awareness about Matheran's biodiversity. "We have to encourage research and documentation amongst nature enthusiasts, specially collegians, as well as responsible tourism, and at the same time create awareness about Matheran, that it's not just a non-vehicular hill station, but also host to rich flora and fauna," informed Walmiki, adding that this race is open for everyone and is a part of the Matheran Green Festival.
He added that every participating team should have five members and each team will be named after a plant, bird or animal found in Matheran. "The aim of each team will be to record as many species as possible, including plants, from early morning to 3pm. Different taxonomic groups will be marked points, depending on the difficulty of spotting them. The team with maximum points will be declared the winner," shared Walmiki, adding that every team will have to produce photographic evidence of their sightings.
Dr Deepti Sharma, technical head of Terra Nero, an environment management organisation that is a partner in this event, said people will not understand about biodiversity until they are involved in such people-science activities. "Once people move across Matheran searching and documenting flora and fauna and photographing them, they will understand its value and the need for these hills to be protected. So, this competition will not only help kindle an interest in biodiversity, but also conservation," she said, adding that the local representatives of Matheran too are extremely excited about this activity.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest benefits of this 'biodiversity race' will certainly be the documentation. "We already have 12 teams registered and this is the first of its kind mass survey that will help collect and collate data of the biodiversity in Matheran. This data can be used for further studies as well as conservation initiatives," said Walmiki.
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