Plant phenology, climate change | Need to monitor climate change: KU VC

Srinagar, Mar 5: Vice Chancellor (VC) of Kashmir University (KU) Prof Nilofer Khan today said that there is a need to monitor climate change and engage with society for impact mitigation.

According to a press note, she was addressing a two-day training workshop. The workshop was organised to educate and empower young faculty and researchers to become active agents of change .

Titled ‘Monitoring plant phenology in an era of climate change’, the workshop is part of the ‘Social Scientific Responsibility’ component of the project ‘Functional diversity, phenology and frost resistance in plants under extreme Himalayan environments’, is sponsored by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India.

KU Vice Chancellor, Prof Nilofer Khan, said that it is high time young faculty and researchers are equipped with practical skills and techniques for observing, recording and analysing plant phenological events, thereby enhancing their capacity to conduct high-quality research in the field.

“It is imperative to actively monitor climate change and engage with society to mitigate its impacts,” Prof Khan said.

She also unveiled a field guide for monitoring phenology, specially designed for the workshop participants, along with two other publications -- ‘Botany Bulletin’ and ‘Field Manual for Alien Flora’, an official release read.