Mumbai: Malabar Hill’s Hanging Garden to join global iNaturalist Community Science Programme

Mumbai is set to join the world stage this September as Malabar Hillrsquos iconic Hanging Garden gears up for its firstever participation in iNaturalistrsquos Community Science Programme a global event to be held between September 18 and 28On September 26 residents will participate in a butterfly walk through the historic garden documenting rare winged visitors with guidance from Mulundbased naturalist and biotechnologist Gaurav Soman who has already conducted four such walks here and has spent years mapping the cityrsquos butterfly diversityParticipants will click photos of the butterflies they spot during the walk and upload them on iNaturalistrsquos 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 worldwideThis is part of the residentsrsquo Save Hanging Garden initiative a campaign that began when 389 trees were set to be axed at the 160yearold precinct in 2023 Now 90 trees will be hacked as per BMCs latest plan Last week midday reported on Malabar Hill residents coordinating up to 14 walks at Hanging Gardens since 2023 to create awareness about its natural heritageWhy Hanging GardenSince 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 soilThe 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 academiciansVisitors appreciate the flora and fauna at the iconic garden on SaturdayldquoHanging 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 itrdquo Soman saidWhat is iNaturalistiNaturalist 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 masterrsquos project it grew into a massive global biodiversity platform and currently operates as an independent 501c3 organisationlsquoData provides useful insightsrsquoGaurav Soman Mulundbased naturalist and biotechnologistldquoSince 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 Saturdayrsquos walk have already volunteered It would be nice to have more studentsiNaturalist 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 mdash for an academician tracking rare species worldwide spotting a species in a local or community habitat becomes an observation that gives useful insightsrdquo