Campus Biodiversity

The campus of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) is rich in terms of its floral and faunal diversity. The campus has been engaged in active research in the dry land of Kachchh especially on restoration of degraded ecosystems since 1995. For any restoration project with the institute, the initial test plantation is done within the campus premises itself which has led to increase in the campus floral diversity and has also further enhanced the number of birds in the campus area.

The campus area supports 226 different types of plants which belong to 65 families and 169 genera. Among the total recorded 226 species one species belongs to the Gymnosperm category which is only wild species of gymnosperm of the state, Ephedra foliata (Andhoi Khip). More than 85% species belong to the Dicotyledones while remains belong to the monocotyledons. Among the 226 plants, a total of 10 species are listed under threatened category.

In total, 76 types of birds are seen in the campus. Among these, Pinted Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Marshall’s Irora, Red-throated Flycatcher, Small Minivet etc. are the migratory birds seen in the campus. The campus is also been utilized for nestingby various bird species such as Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Tailor Bird, Asian Koel, Dusky Crag-Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Indian Silver bill, Red-vented Bulbul, Ring Dove, Little Brown Dove. Other faunal species includes Jungle Cat, Jackal, Fruit Bat, Monitor Lizard, Cobra, Rat Snake, Trinket, Red-Sandboa.