BNCA celebrates Nature Conservation Day
Pollination, insects are a key to ecological balance and closely linked with human well-being. Therefore there is a need to conserve insects which are often ignored and unseen in the processes that are important to ecosystem balance opined well-known Biodiversity expert and Conservationist Dr.AnkurPatwardhan.
The Vanaja-Nature Club at MKSSS’s Dr.BhanubenNanavati College of Architecture for Women organized it’s 32nd session to mark ‘Nature Conservation Day’. The theme for the year 2021 is BIODIVERSITY. The program was supported by Sanjeevani Group and Nature walk and was organized under the guidance of Dr.AnuragKashyap, Principal BNCA, conceptualized by Prof. Asmita Joshi and coordinated by Prof. AmrutaBarve. The virtual program concluded with students taking a pledge for conservation of Biodiversity
Prof .Asmita Joshi informed that they have started this particular endeavour in 2014 and during these seven years many eminent speakers have graced the platform to sensitize students about nature conservation and ecological processes. There has been a lot of knowledge sharing which has been beneficial to architecture students.Â
Ankur Patwardhan , HOD Biodiversity Department at Garware College in his presentation said that  Insects are the key elements of nature. He said that we are biased towards certain animals of our liking or attraction mostly mammals, birds, butterflies. But when we say insects, we ignore them. We need to look at the services they perform for the ecosystem especially their close relationship with pollination which is one of the most significant ecosystem services. 90% of all the flowering plants are dependent on animals for pollination. They need some vectors or physical assistance to carry pollen grains from one plant to another. Out of two lakh species of animals that are instrumental in pollination, nearly 95% are insects. Fruits and food crops are pollinated by insects. Imagine, If insects are not around us, what will be our life. This indicates how tightly global food security is related with insects.
Talking about the solutions to conserve the insects, he added that he started thinking of intervention as a biologist with role of honeybees as pollinators. Just planting flowers in our backyard is not enough, the plants on which they lay their eggs is different and on which they feed are different. Citing his own example he said that he has converted his terrace into butterfly garden and carefully planted certain plants with more than 50 species of nectar and hosts plants, now 25 species of butterflies visit my garden and continue their lifecycle here. Careful and insightful choice of hosts and feed plants is needed.
Are Butterflies guided by flower colour, do they visit flowers for colour or nectar, quantity, quality? His quest to find a solution to increase the pollination efficiency of the butterflies has led him to innovative idea which won the prestigious award at the fourth edition of Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Germany in 2019. He added that he had proposed a perfume for butterflies which get attracted to certain colors. This was based on his exploration and observation that has built up over many years.
Insects act as food for many unique endangered birds and mammals. They are often ignored and unseen in the processes that are important to ecosystem balance. At a time when breeding ground of butterflies are vanishing and number of insects dwindling fast , Dr.Patwardhan advised the students of Architecture to have more biological insights and Incorporate own ideas of design, so that we can protect and conserve nature. There is a need to act fast to avoid insect loss as Insect life is closely linked with human wellbeing, Dr.Patwardhan concluded.
