07 September,2026 07:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Eeshanpriya MS
Butterflies spotted at Hanging Garden, Malabar Hill, on Saturday. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Mumbai is set to join the world stage this September as Malabar Hill's iconic Hanging Garden gears up for its first-ever participation in iNaturalist's Community Science Programme, a global event to be held between September 18 and 28.
On September 26, residents will participate in a butterfly walk through the historic garden, documenting rare winged visitors with guidance from Mulund-based naturalist and biotechnologist Gaurav Soman, who has already conducted four such walks here and has spent years mapping the city's butterfly diversity.
Participants will click photos of the butterflies they spot during the walk, and upload them on iNaturalist's mobile application, with a brief description. The app then suggests the identification, and a global community of naturalists confirms or refines it. This observation then becomes part of open data that is used by scientists, conservationists, and researchers worldwide.
This is part of the residents' Save Hanging Garden initiative, a campaign that began when 389 trees were set to be axed at the 160-year-old precinct in 2023. Now, 90 trees will be hacked, as per BMC's latest plan. Last week, mid-day reported on Malabar Hill residents coordinating up to 14 walks at Hanging Gardens since 2023 to create awareness about its natural heritage.
Since the gardens are built on a concrete reservoir, they have more shrubs and small bushes, learnt to be breeding grounds for butterflies. The trees mark the periphery of the garden, while the actual space of the garden is dominated by shrubs and bushes, and smaller tropical and native trees that do not have roots penetrating deep into the soil.
The unique nature of Malabar Hill makes it a preferred breeding ground for butterflies. So far, experts have documented 40 butterfly species at the spot, but residents have documented over 70 species, according to Soman. Through the upcoming event, these observations will be vetted and made available to a global network of academicians.
Visitors appreciate the flora and fauna at the iconic garden on Saturday
"Hanging Garden has a very unique personality, as it is surrounded by greenery and is atop a hill, so the air is cleaner. The light breeze coming in from the sea helps butterflies move around. It is also maintained well, as community comprises many senior citizens and morning walkers who participate to preserve it," Soman said.
iNaturalist is a free, nonprofit citizen science network and mobile application designed to help people identify, map, and share observations of plants, animals, fungi, and other living organisms globally. Originally launched in 2008 as a UC Berkeley master's project, it grew into a massive global biodiversity platform and currently operates as an independent 501(c)(3) organisation.
Gaurav Soman, Mulund-based naturalist and biotechnologist
"Since science has been limited to researchers and academics historically, the Community Science Fest invites citizens to contribute to the fraternity, and their findings are gauged using the same protocols. All the data gathered by citizens is made publicly available. I would like to start with a small group for September 26. A few senior citizens who participated in Saturday's walk have already volunteered. It would be nice to have more students.
iNaturalist also has its own protocols for how photos should be submitted, which will take a little bit of learning for new users. This data is very useful - for an academician tracking rare species worldwide, spotting a species in a local or community habitat becomes an observation that gives useful insights."
