Programme Details:
Did you ever dream of becoming a scientist? We at BNHS will fulfill this dream. The Conservation Education Center (CEC) of BNHS gives you an opportunity to get into the shoes of a scientist and wear the hat of a data collector, just for a day! The United Nations has declared 2011 as International Year of Forests and we have planned a series of events throughout the year to celebrate this theme. One of such initiatives includes launching of a Citizen Science Project under the title of “Be a Scientist for a Day". Under this project we will be carrying out year long biodiversity surveys on the BNHS Nature Reserve at Goregaon in Mumbai with help of experts and general public. We will be surveying plants, birds, insects and spiders, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. These surveys will be carried out by experts from the field; however amateurs can also join us and learn about scientific methods of documentation. These surveys will be held on weekends once a month starting from January 2011.
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You as a participant will learn to observe record and analyze the data in a scientific manner. This will sharpen your analytical and observation skills which are useful for wildlife studies. You will learn to use field guides, data sheets and GPS gadgets. You will work laboriously along with the expert treading one or all five nature trails spread across 33 acres in three different seasons. The survey will address three research parameters; species diversity, species abundance and species seasonality. You need to be above 14 years, have with basic computer skills and endurance to sustain hardships of data collection. At the end of the project, we intend to bring out a scientific publication and all participants will be acknowledged.
