Project Description

Established in 1985 and expanded over 42 acres Botanicla garden is collection of more than 500 species of trees. It has more than 150 endemic plant species and 20 critically endangered endemic plant species of Western Ghats.
This garden was first Botanical Garden in India which is declared as Lead Botanical Garden for Western India . Botany department’s ambition is to convert entire campus of 850 acres of this educational institute into biodiversity park which will not only act as a Lungs of Kolhapur but as a centre of botanical activities, germplasm depository from where germplasm will flow to society, students and researchers and recreation place for generations to come.

 

Achievement

  • Establishment of Victoria Amazonicain LBG- A centre of attraction for school students.
  • Establishment of Field Gene Banks for Indian Barleria, Flemingia, Crinum, Pancratium, Drimia, Dipcadi, Aponogeton, Chlorophytum species in LBS.
  • Making Leaf Botanical Garden self-reliable in its water requirement through wells, and water conservation by developing water bodies.
  • Establishment of an Arboretum of 80 (100) endemic and threatened trees species of Western Ghats.
  • Bio-prospecting of Mucunasanjappae and Crinum malabaricum for active biomolecules
  • Utilization of Wild species viz. Barleria species, Salacia chinensis, Crinums as an Ornamentals.
  • Conservation of majority of bulbous and endemic plant species (ca 40) in Botanical garden.
    Collection, propagation and introduction of more than 25 Indigenous palms in Botanical garden and establishment of Palm groove havi

Objectives of Lead Botanical Garden
• Ex- situ conservation and multiplication of Threatened and Endemic plants species of Western Ghats.
• Establishment of seedbanks.
• Reintroduction and rehabilitation of plants in its natural habitats.
• Create awareness in people about biodiversity conservationandSustainable utilization.

 

Functions of Lead Botanical Garde
Help to conserve natural vegetation specially Threatened and Endemic species through multiplying and rehabilitating them in natural habitats.
• Undertake botanic research resulting in excellent referral system for plants as authentically identified, classified and labeled live collection in gardens and as dry collections (pressed, processed and mounted specimens) in herbaria both for monitoring and documentation of threatened and endemic plant resources of the country.
• Study of phenology and response of the plants to climate variability/change.
• Carry out conservation biological studies with a view to find out ecological, biological and genetic bottlenecks or barriers in the reproduction and survival of species.
• Carry out rehabilitation/recovery programmes for threatened and endemic species.
• Serve as center of training with expertise in a focused area of subject specialization including horticulture.
• Building up of information on in-situ as well as ex-situ conservation of the threatened and endemic species and their habitats.
• Compile information on the area of occurrence, area of occupancy, number and size of populations, spatial distribution of populations, identification of important associates such as pollinators and dispersers, reproductive and breeding systems, population trends in relation to habitat changes and pattern of disturbance etc. Prepare Red Data Sheets for the selected species as per IUCN format.
• Promote environmental awareness of nature conservation through well designed education programmes and educational materials.
• Develop relevant research and development (R&D) expertise and capabilities in undertaking modem conservation and gene banking techniques including in-vitro tissue banks, DNA and Cryo-Bank.