Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic creates unique, interactive biodiversity map of city

Interactive biodiversity map of Mumbai

The Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic, a collective of Mumbaikars and environmental organisations, on June 30 launched a unique interactive biodiversity map of the city to educate citizens about the city's biodiversity and inspire them to conserve it.

The interactive biodiversity map covers the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and water bodies such as the Arabian Sea, Mahim Bay, Thane Creek, and Vasai Creek. The map highlights 78 species of fauna and 17 species of flora. It also upholds the interdependence and symbiotic relation that indigenous communities such as the Kolis share with the local biodiversity.

The Mumbai biodiversity map was originally launched in 2020, but then it was static. The new interactive map will let readers click on the different species documented and highlighted on it to get more information about the species, their habitat and conservation status.

The interactive map of Mumbai’s biodiversity was illustrated by Rohan Chakravarty aka Green Humour. It informs the readers about the fauna and flora of the city, the green spaces, and also indigenous communities residing in the vicinity. The map can be used as an educative tool for children also.

Chakravarty who is the brains behind the comic Green Humour drew inspiration from works done by noted environmental organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Wildlife Trust of India, Karnataka State Forest Department, and Arunachal Pradesh State Forest Department.

Speaking about the map Chakravarty said, "Making the map interactive increases the scope of this project by leaps and bounds because now we can reach a wide section of the young audience that uses the internet. This is a resource that is available at a click which is very difficult to obtain because if you had to look up the biodiversity of Mumbai—firstly, it is a very vast topic in itself and secondly, there is so much information dispersed far and wide on the internet that it would take time to collate all of that data."

He wanted to find a way to pique the interest of Mumbai citizens about the rich biodiversity that the state of Maharashtra holds and educate them about where to find them. With this map, the Ministry of Mumbai’s magic aims to awaken a sense of ownership, so that Mumbaikars begin to proactively try and conserve the city’s biodiversity.

(With agency inputs)