By Nabamita Mitra
How much has the plum tree in your backyard garden grown? Does it bear fruits the way it used to five years ago? Do the beetles and the butterflies which frequented your garden in the past still visit? When did you last see an oriole in your garden? Most of us will not have answers to these questions because none has the time to stand and stare in this fast world.
However, a group of young and inquisitive students is keeping a close watch on the changing moods of nature and meticulously collecting data so that steps can be taken to mitigate the dreadful impact of global warming. These young nature lovers with a purpose are all part of the SeasonWatch, a national initiative known as Citizen Science programme at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, a wing of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. There are 565 schools, 22 of which are from Meghalaya, across the country which are actively participating in the process of finding the mysteries of natural cycles.
“It is not mere happenstance that fruit and flowering patterns of many trees are changing. Global warming is leading to climate change and this is impacting the behaviour of nature. But many people are unaware of the micro changes though they read about the macro problems in newspapers almost everyday,” says Resly Pariong, who teaches science at Pariong Presbytery School in West Khasi Hills.
SeasonWatch is bridging the gap between man and nature by involving citizens, especially students, in evaluating the micro changes.
Pariong Presbytery is one of the schools participating in the programme. There are 20 students from the school who are watching four trees — peach, pear, box martle and plum.
Meghalaya, which has a diverse flora and fauna, has also been adversely affected by global warming and many plants and trees now behave differently, said Sister Rina Marbaniang, the principal of St Ursula Border Area Higher Secondary School at Mawlong under Shella block in East Khasi Hills. “We used to have orange trees here (Shella) but now you won’t find a single one,” she added while explaining why a programme like SeasonWatch is important.
Thirty students from the school, which is among the top tree watchers from Meghalaya, are involved in this programme. They are divided into five groups which follow four trees — jackfruit, guava, Indian gooseberry and gulmohars, all on the school premises. The students have a name for each tree, for example the gulmohars are called Chhotu and John.
Ebina D Sangma says Tom, the guava tree her group watches every Monday, would bear many fruits earlier but in the recent years there are a few. “We also watch the ants and the birds, especially sparrows, living in the trees,” says Ebina.
Her friend, Meriaka Shullai, says in the last one year, she has noticed various changes in the gulmohar tree, “which looks beautiful when in full bloom”. Both Ebina and Meriaka inform that they would watch trees near their houses even before they joined SeasonWatch.
The programme, which is being implemented here through the State Council of Science Technology and Environment, started in Meghalaya last May.
Raphael Lyngdoh Nonglait, a Class VII student of Anderson Higher Secondary School in Upper New Nongstoin, is an individual season-watcher and has adopted a Himalayan cherry tree that stands high on the way to his school. The 13-year-old nature enthusiast says in the last one year, he has observed several changes, like leaf flush and fruiting, with change in seasons.
“Watching trees gives me great pleasure and I am committed to taking care of nature and the environment in which I live… I am planning to adopt one more tree that is peach, which is located in my neighbourhood garden,” says Raphael.
Raphael’s brother Rudolf, who studies in Class V in the same school, calls his adopted Himalayan cherry tree Ramax. Every Friday evening, he spends 5-10 minutes in front of the tree and notes down changes that he notices. “In the last one year I saw beautiful flowers, fruits and leaves fall. I saw birds, bees and butterflies visiting my tree. In October, I saw insects feeding on the leaves,” says the excited 10-year-old nature enthusiast.
Both the brothers say besides encouragement at home, their work has been lauded in school. “My teachers are very happy… and encourage me to do better in future. The principal too congratulated me when she learned that I am part of SeasonWatch at the individual level,” says Rudolf.
In fact, their school is also part of the programme. Caroline Syiem, who teaches science at Anderson Higher Secondary School, says six students from the school watch trees and collect data on changes. “They are watching a peach tree and two Himalayan cherry blossoms. They notice leafing and flowering of the trees, as well as insects and birds visiting the trees,” she says.
Syiem says the school encourages students to look beyond books and the curriculum and the programme has helped the young minds to come closer to nature, “which is always the best teacher”.
“I have noticed a change in the students’ outlook. They are more observant now,” says Sumarlin Khongjoh of St Ursula Border Area Higher Secondary School.
Nirmal Sarkar of Don Bosco Mendal, which is also a part of the national programme, echoes Khongjoh’s views, saying, “Earlier, my students were not interested in science but now they have developed a keenness that surprises me. I think the programme has made them think about the happenings in nature and they have learnt to question every event.”
The four schools are among the top performers from Meghalaya. CB Syiem of State Council of Science, Technology and Environment says most of the schools are from rural areas and representatives from all these schools were trained last year. “We have volunteers who visit schools and explain about the programme. We hope that more schools and individuals will join,” he adds.
It is not just the trees that participants watch but also the cycle of the micro life associated with each tree, explains Syiem.
Students and individuals collect data and upload the information through the SeasonWatch app. Those who do not have access to internet submit their worksheets to Syiem who uploads the information. According to the SeasonWatch team, observers will understand the pattern of change once they start collecting information over a period of time and “it will be possible to assess whether there are long-term changes in these seasonal cycles”.
With education becoming more exam-driven, students, especially those from urban areas, get little or no time to interact with nature. But this programme, says Sarkar of Don Bosco Mendal, is helping them get back to nature. “As the climatic changes get apparent, it becomes important for youngsters to know the environment around and actively participate in rejuvenating nature. They learn a lot in the process,” he adds.
Individuals of all ages can participate in the programme and share their observations. Among the trees which are monitored by schools and individuals across the country are jackfruit, Indian blackberry, Indian gooseberry, box myrtle, mango, banyan, Himalayan cherry, devil’s tree, tamarind, margosa and red silk cotton tree. In Meghalaya, plum, pomegranate, peach, pear and guava are among the 79 trees observed.
Swati Sidhu of SeasonWatch says the team is planning to bring more schools and individuals in Meghalaya into the fold. “In fact, we are planning to extend the programme to colleges. Our team is small and so we work through local coordinators. Gradually some of the local coordinators can take the programme further,” she explains. About the pool of data being collected by SeasonWatch, Sidhu says the information will be processed by experts to get a bigger picture about the changes in nature due to global warming. “But for now we are focusing on educating citizens because to perceive any long-term change, we need more data and more samples,” she adds.
(With inputs from Marbah Kharsati)
Students of Anderson HS School take note of the changes in their adopted pear tree