Lhendup G Bhutia
Computer geeks,
school children and professionals from different fields, who have
otherwise no inkling of science and research, are turning into its
latest foot soldiers. Meet the country's citizen scientists.Dr
Ceaser Sengupta, a pathologist and General Manager with what's
considered to be the world's largest thyroid testing laboratory,
Thyrocare Technologies Limited, leads a busy life. When he's not at his
Turbhe office, his attention is divided between his six year-old
daughter, his father and wife, with whom he resides in a swanky highrise
in CBD Belapur.
Researchers belonging to Lost Amphibians of India look for amphibians
in the remote area of Latpanchar in North Bengal. The group that
comprises mostly individuals from non-research backgrounds is
undertaking a pioneering project in trying to locate Indian amphibian
species that are feared to have gone extinct. Pic/ Caeser SenguptaAll
this might seem terribly ordinary if you didn't know about Sengupta's
parallel life. Occasionally, the 37 year-old takes off to far flung
areas of the country, especially forests and swamps, carrying with him a
sleeping bag, a supply of dry fruit, and a pair of leather boots that
reach his knees, protecting him from snake bites. If unable to locate a
cow shed to sleep in, the sleeping bag comes in handy.
A volunteer at one of BNHS's Be a Scientist For A Day programmeOn
these trips that often last between four days to a month and a half,
Sengupta, along with other skilled urban professionals from a variety of
career fields, transforms into a 'citizen scientist' or amateur
researcher.
Sengupta's task is as ambitious in nature as it is
vital. He, along with 500 urban professionals, mostly from non-science
and research backgrounds, are part of Lost Amphibians of India (LAI), a
group that is searching for 50 Indian amphibian species, mostly frogs
and caecilians, that are thought to have gone extinct. While several
species have been sighted in the last 10 years, some have eluded
researchers for over 169 years.
"It is an extremely important
programme. Most Indians are concerned about certain 'prestigious'
animals, and hardly ever give a thought to amphibians. Some of the
species we are searching for have not been sighted for years. We need to
see if they are still around," says Sengupta.
LAI, which was
launched in November 2010, has seen an excited response from common
citizens. With its 500 members, it has already conducted 30 expeditions,
one of which lasted a month-and-a-half in Arunachal Pradesh. The next
one, which will be led by Sengupta, is days away and will take him to
Maharashtra's Phandsad Wildlife Sanctuary.
LAI is not the only
science programme that has seen support from commoners. Snigdha Kar, a
27 year-old Delhi-based employee of UNESCO, who is involved in the
coordination and organising of various research programmes for the body,
is a researcher in her own right. For the last four years, she has been
part of MigrantWatch, a programme with over 1,300 members across the
country, that is tracking one of nature's most spectacular events -- the
migration of birds.
The programme hopes to ascertain if climate
change is affecting the migratory patterns of birds. Kar earlier worked
for the Delhi chapter of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and,
despite being an amateur, has a keen interest in birds and has been
keeping track of 20 different species that regularly fly into Delhi.
To
spot these birds, Kar often continues her research when she travels out
of Delhi on vacation, and consults books by experts, apart from looking
up birds' features on websites. Out of the 20 species of migratory
birds that she frequently reports about, Kar finds one particularly
tough to spot. "The Greenish Warbler is very tough to identify. It's a
small forest bird and we (bird watchers) have hours of discussion just
to reach a consensus that it's the Greenish Warbler."
According
to Suhel Quader, founder of MigrantWatch that is run by the National
Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, the growing number of
Indians from non-research backgrounds getting interested in the natural
world provides a great opportunity for both, professional and amateur
researchers, to work together.
"For many ecological changes, in
particular, documenting what is happening over large spans of space and
time is most effectively done through a participatory approach, where
interested people volunteer their time and effort in working towards a
common goal even though they are distributed throughout the country.
When we started, it was obvious that seeking the help of bird watchers
was the best way forward," says Quader.
While many have spoken
about how eclipses affect the behaviour of animals, few have ever sought
to ascertain if this claim is true. Earlier last year, during the
January 15 solar eclipse, NCBS tried to do just that.
Over 100
volunteers took part in EclipseWatch, from locations as diverse as
Itanagar, Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai, to find that the only clear
change in animal behaviour occurred in areas where the maximum eclipse
was almost complete (more than 88 per cent coverage of the sun). In
these areas, there was a marked reduction in the activity of birds and
animals.
Banking on such models, another programme is being run
across Kerala schools, before it can be replicated across the country.
And it invites adult participation too. Called SeasonWatch, the
programme that launched in November 2010, seeks to learn if climate
change is affecting the seasonality of trees.
A total of 100
different trees are on their list, and volunteers monitoring them,
regularly update findings on the programme website, including the timing
of the flowering, fruiting and leaf-flush of the trees. Arun Elassery,
SeasonWatch's programme manager, says, "We often hear of trees blooming
before hand, or summers lasting longer. We are trying to learn more
about these happenings by taking the help of volunteers."
More
often than not, volunteers come with a keen interest in nature. Kar, for
instance, was troubled to see how a large number of jackals were being
run over by vehicles whenever she drove down the narrow Suraj Kund Road
that cut across Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, connecting Tuglaqabad
to Kant Enclave, "I spotted at least six jackals being run over.
I
would always get out of my vehicle, and photograph them while others
would continue running over them. Using the photos, I requested the
sanctuary officials to lower speed limits on that road but it hardly
helped." Later on June 1, when the Nature Conservation Foundation
launched a two month-long survey to find out about the numbers and
location of Golden Jackals in India, Kar was able to make an invaluable
contribution with her notes and photographs.
LAI's team of
amphibian scientists are working and using several scientific parameters
to identify the Lost! Amphibians of India. Announcements of
rediscovered species are expected very soon. In the case of
MigrantWatch, it is too early for results of any kind to emerge. As
Quader explains, "We have begun formally documenting existing migration
timings -- and this will form a baseline against which future patterns
can be compared."
Even in Mumbai, smaller programmes that are as
much educational in nature as they are research-oriented, are emerging.
For instance, Dr V Subhalaxmi, general manager at BNHS -- Education
Department, helped launch in February this year, their Be A Scientist
For A Day (BASFAD) programme. Here, a few professional researchers lead a
group of volunteers into the 33-acre BNHS Nature Reserve in Goregaon to
conduct field trips.
Sachin Chogre, an educational officer who
conducts research programmes on moth studies, says, "Here, once every
month, we organise research groups to study moths, amphibians, birds and
flora of the region. We started it, knowing that we'd get a good
response. Besides, it's a great way to document changes unfolding in
these regions."
Sameer Patil, a freelance computer programmer
from Thane, who attended a session of bird spotting, is planning to join
another one soon. "Earlier, I could hardly ever identify birds. That
day, we were taught about various species and how to identify them from
their calls and features. We spread out and were able to document
various species that frequent the area," he says. After a period of
time, all findings made during the BASFAD programme, will be compiled
into a report.
Dr Sengupta says, "When I return home from exhibitions, my body is marked with mosquito bites. But it is all worth it."
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