India launched a nationwide Campus Biodiversity Register initiative for higher education institutions on 21–22 July 2026. The exercise is implemented by the Nature Conservation Foundation (Mysuru) and the National Biodiversity Authority under India’s biodiversity documentation framework.
The Campus Biodiversity Register (CBR)
- Definition: Campus-level record of flora, fauna and other life forms, with locality and temporal data.
- Scope: Target of one CBR per participating higher education institution; documentation period Jul 2026–Jun 2027.
- Timeline: Institutional registration open until Nov 2026.
Data Collection and Standards
- Platforms: iNaturalist, eBird, SeasonWatch for photographic records, species identification and geotagged observations.
- Data outputs: Time-stamped occurrence records suitable for aggregation into PBRs and local biodiversity inventories.
Legal and Institutional Linkages
- Implementing bodies: National Biodiversity Authority (statutory) in partnership with Nature Conservation Foundation.
- Statute: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — provides for documentation through State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).
Precedents and Examples
- Kerala: State CBR drive launched 16 Jun 2026; Kerala completed PBR coverage across local governing bodies earlier.
- Case: Azim Premji University published a campus biodiversity register for 2024–25.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- NBA: Constituted under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002; oversees access and benefit-sharing and biodiversity documentation.
- PBR: People’s Biodiversity Register is the statutory local inventory maintained by BMCs for traditional knowledge and resource records.