India’s college campuses and institutional green spaces are key to saving city wildlife, says new study

A new study highlights the potential of India's college campuses and institutional green spaces in combating urban wildlife loss. Nagpur, a fast-growing city in Maharashtra, provides a compelling example of how these spaces could save city wildlife. The research, conducted by CSIR-NEERI, the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), and the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Poland, found that large, restricted-access campuses could serve as effective conservation zones, known as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).

These institutional campuses, with their secure land ownership and low human disturbance, often house a greater variety of flora and fauna compared to public parks or fragmented forests surrounding them. The CSIR-NEERI campus, covering 46 hectares, was surveyed systematically, revealing a thriving ecosystem containing 1,744 individual trees from 83 different species.

Notably, half of these trees were native species, contributing to a balanced mix of indigenous and introduced flora. The dominant trees, such as the Yellow Flame tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) and Neem tree (Azadirachta indica), function as massive carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gases and mitigating climate change.

The campus also exhibits rich structural complexity through tree-related microhabitats, including over 700 instances of deadwood and 366 cavities. This complexity is rare in highly managed city parks where dead tree parts are typically pruned away for aesthetic reasons. The vegetation of the NEERI campus also cools the surrounding area by approximately 3°C, offering a much-needed respite from the sweltering heat in Indian cities.

Beyond ecological benefits, these green spaces also enhance human well-being by providing a natural connection for city dwellers, reducing stress, and improving mental health. While the findings are site-specific, the study serves as a blueprint for other institutions to contribute to the "30x30" goal, which aims to protect 30% of the Earth's land and sea by 2030.

However, the researchers acknowledge that not all college campuses in India may meet these high conservation standards. Factors such as manicured lawn spaces or the absence of mature trees could hinder their effectiveness. Future research should focus on assessing other biodiversity, like birds and insects, as well as soil health, to determine the long-term stability of these conservation benefits amidst rapid urbanization.