Applying a Biodiversity Lens for a Sustainable City

Start and End Dates: 

May 2023 – Apr 2024

Introduction to the Project:

Urbanization and climate change pose threats to global biodiversity, but some urban areas, like Bengaluru, can serve as refuges for diverse species. While most information on biodiversity loss is from temperate regions, understanding the impact in tropical cities is lacking. It’s crucial to study and raise awareness about how urbanization and climate change affect biodiversity, particularly in the Anthropocene era. Both phenomena force species to adapt, making it essential to identify which species thrive, survive, or face extinction. In Bengaluru, rich biodiversity, including birds and insects, underscores the need for transdisciplinary efforts linking urban ecology, awareness, and conservation with ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and micro-climatic regulation.

Objectives: 

The project plans to integrate data driven research along with citizen science initiatives to study the effects of urbanization and climate change. We will focus on birds and butterflies, with the aim of predicting the vulnerability of these charismatic species to the effects of climate change and urbanization.

Outputs:

• Work in educational campuses, which are carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots and wildlife refuges, to study the persistence of wildlife with respect to campus management and environmental drivers and come up with management solutions for the rest of the city. These campuses will include India’s and possibly the global South’s first long-term urban ecological observatory (LTUEO) being developed by IIHS in Bengaluru as well as large campuses such as the GKVK and IISC. 

• Create awareness, engagement and a sense of belonging to nature through popular science articles, nature walks, art and social media as part of this project.

Funded By:

Bangalore Sustainability Forum