Workshop with Assam Valley School on Herbarium Techniques & Biodiversity Conservation
At the Eastern Himalayan Botanic Ark in residence at Wild Mahseer, we focus on educating young minds through
nature-based workshops to inculcate a love for nature and caring for it. On 26th May 2018, we conducted a
Herbarium course for 27 students of Assam Valley School with the Biology faculty Prof. Joyce MacDonald.
At the Eastern Himalayan Botanic Ark in residence at Wild Mahseer, we focus on educating young minds through nature-based workshops to inculcate a love for nature and caring for it. On 26th May 2018, we conducted a Herbarium course for 27 students of Assam Valley School with the Biology faculty Prof. Joyce MacDonald.
Objective:
To learn tips and techniques for making own herbarium voucher of native plants
Students were given hands on instruction on collecting, pressing, mounting techniques to prepare specimens suitable for creative art and scientific projects. Guest faculty Dr. Pankaj Bharali, who has a PhD in Botany from Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh is a renowned research scholar. As a specialist in Alpine Flora and Phytochemistry of medicinal plants, he was invited to conduct the workshop. Dr. Bharali has recorded a number of Alpine species as new to India and two as new discovery to science from the Alpine Himalayan regions of Arunachal Pradesh, which is a critical geography for research and study of botany and community conservation.
Conversation exchange between Dr. Bharali and the students included learning about the 2 new discoveries “Impatiens pyrorhiza sp” and “Rhodiola sedoides”, its significance and value to the ecosystem. They also learnt about the key role that a herbarium plays in preserving native plant, species, collection of facts and ethnobotany. Students were also guided on several career fields related to the study of botany, which can help them to make informed and abled decisions. “It was very exciting and encouraging to learn about new discoveries in botany and I look forward to becoming a botanist in the future” said one of the students from Assam Valley School.
At the Eastern Himalayan Botanic Ark in residence at Wild Mahseer, we focus on educating young minds through nature-based workshops to inculcate a love for nature and caring for it. On 26th May 2018, we conducted a Herbarium course for 27 students of Assam Valley School with the Biology faculty Prof. Joyce MacDonald.
Objective:
To learn tips and techniques for making own herbarium voucher of native plants
Students were given hands on instruction on collecting, pressing, mounting techniques to prepare specimens suitable for creative art and scientific projects. Guest faculty Dr. Pankaj Bharali, who has a PhD in Botany from Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh is a renowned research scholar. As a specialist in Alpine Flora and Phytochemistry of medicinal plants, he was invited to conduct the workshop. Dr. Bharali has recorded a number of Alpine species as new to India and two as new discovery to science from the Alpine Himalayan regions of Arunachal Pradesh, which is a critical geography for research and study of botany and community conservation.
Conversation exchange between Dr. Bharali and the students included learning about the 2 new discoveries “Impatiens pyrorhiza sp” and “Rhodiola sedoides”, its significance and value to the ecosystem. They also learnt about the key role that a herbarium plays in preserving native plant, species, collection of facts and ethnobotany. Students were also guided on several career fields related to the study of botany, which can help them to make informed and abled decisions. “It was very exciting and encouraging to learn about new discoveries in botany and I look forward to becoming a botanist in the future” said one of the students from Assam Valley School.
