Socio-administrative approaches to Improve Biodiversity and Environmental status of a rural college in Bihar

Maintenance of biodiversity and healthy environment is an indication of sustainable development. The present study discusses about various efforts that were put forward in a college of rural area of Bihar in a decade before 2023 to preserve the healthy environment with biodiversity in holistic way. A clear vision and approaches by the administration involved all sections of the college that included students, non-teaching staffs and teaching staffs. Completion of boundary wall in 2015 gave protection to land area from uncontrolled movement of grazing animals. A major plantation drive of 2016 increased the number of trees in the years to come as majority of plantlets survived. Joining of Principal Dr. Kanhaiya Prasad Sinha in the college gave a big boost to greenery of the college as he allocated land and areas to develop as garden. Except the botanical garden which was developed in 2010 four more gardens were developed in his tenure that includes Rishi Baghbhatt Ayurvedic Udyan (ऋषि बागभट्ट आयुर्वेदिक उद्यान), Sundarlal Bahuguna Fal Udyan (सुंदरलाल बहुगुणा फल उद्यान), Maltidhari Pusp Vatika (मालतीधारी पुष्प वाटिका) and Bapu Naitik Sthal (बापू नैतिक स्थल) along with establishment of an ecological body called as Eco-Club in the college. His strong foresight is reflected when he beautified the campus by plantation of aesthetic and decorative trees and plants at various places of college. Further, with plantation he also iron fenced the gardens to protect them from any kind of harm from any of the person in the college. His priority to keep the campus clean and plastic free helped campus to create healthy environment. Many events and activities in the college such as teacher’s day, world environment day and retirement day of Principal Dr. Kanhaiya Prasad Sinha and were marked by plantation events that gave massage of saving the nature among students and teaching staffs of the college. He also directed to organize many seminars, lectures, essay writing and rally to create awareness about healthy environment. These efforts helped plants to increase their number and size that eventually resulted in robust biodiversity in the campus which was found in the survey of plants and animals of the college. All these works have been documented in college annual magazine from where present work has been completed.