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One of the largest citizen-led biodiversity documentation efforts in Pune, a tree-mapping exercise along the riparian zone of the Mula River has now been accepted and uploaded on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), an international network and data platform that provides open access to information on all forms of life on Earth.
According to the GBIF website, “The dataset consists of geotagged and photographic observations of various trees, shrubs and climbers at the Mula river banks, from Wakad to Aundh in Pune (Maharashtra, India).” More than 3,500 trees were recorded between January 5 and May 31, 2025, covering a 4-km stretch on both sides of the river. Over 200 citizens, guided by botanists, participated in the initiative.
The database now serves as an open archive of trees, shrubs, climbers, and herbs that were visually observed and photographed. “Around 55 unique species of trees were identified. We have listed Karanj, Babul and Umbar as among the top three native species on the stretch. Walunj and Shindi trees are very important,” said Akanksha Pandey, who was part of the project.
The initiative gains significance in the backdrop of data from Global Forest Watch, which states that “from 2021 to 2024, 99 per cent of tree cover loss in Pune occurred within natural forest. The total loss within natural forest was 210 ha, equivalent to 28.8 kt of CO2e emissions.”
Pandey said the exercise went beyond documenting trees .It was also an eye-opener for many participants. “Many people had not known about the pristine, dense and biodiversity-rich riparian forest that was present in the heart of the city. Some of us saw reptiles, such as snakes, but many of us also saw various types of ants, spiders and insects that we never see in our localities any more. Many of the experts did not know how rich the biodiversity is in the forest,” she said.
The initiative was supported by the Pune Knowledge Cluster, which provided technical guidance, and Nisarg, an organisation working on sustainability. “Citizens of Pune who are working as scientists in foreign countries came on board. They helped us verify the data and coordinate and upload on GBIF because laypersons cannot upload on GBIF. It’s a scientific research tool,” Pandey added.
According to Jeevitnadi, the formal author of the dataset on GBIF, the project fills a crucial gap. “The biodiversity reports of the municipal corporations do not reflect riparian species. If you want to really protect and conserve freshwater ecosystems, these are the species which will play important roles in maintaining, managing, and creating resilience of the freshwater ecosystems. Nowhere in policy, so far, has any importance been given to riparian areas.
Mangroves are under protection but riparian areas are not under any type of environmental protection or conservation act,” said Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevitnadi.
She added that tree families such as Fabaceae and Myrtaceae are “high carbon sequesters,” capable of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon , a key factor in combating global warming. “These have not been recorded, documented or given any protection, so this citizen’s initiative is very important,” Deshpande said.
Deshpande noted that most of the documented species are native. “There are few non-native species but they have adapted with the existing native species and are living well with each other,” she said.
The tree-mapping project will now enter its second phase. “People want to see, map and document. They also want to experience the life that exists in the forest without disturbing it,” Deshpande added.
