Message

As the Honorary Director of the Centre for Biodiversity & Taxonomy (CBT) at the University of Kashmir, I extend a warm welcome to everyone. The Centre was initially conceived as a full-fledged research institute and named as the Institute of Plant Taxonomy. To begin with, the Centre was housed in a newly constructed building and started functioning as an off-shoot of the Department of Botany. Subsequently, the University Council in its meeting of 9^th June 1985 agreed to keep it as a separate cell within Botany Department, with separate budgetary provisions and with an Honorary Director as its Head. Consequent upon this, the University of Kashmir provided ministerial staff and allocated a separate budget for this Centre.  Our Centre pride in its young, dedicated, talented, and professionally competent staff that are committed to delivering the best possible education and guidance to our students. We strive to maintain our reputation as a Research Centre of utmost distinction and continue to foster an environment conducive to growth, learning, and success. Centre for Biodiversity & Taxonomy (CBT), encompasses every aspect of human life and has gained immense significance in the Anthropocene era. With the increasing biodiversity issues and challenges we face, there is a growing and urgent demand to address these concerns and safeguard the quality of our environment and ensure sustainability. This requires innovative ideas, science-based solutions, practical policies, and a shift in societal behaviors. In order to tackle these biodiversity challenges effectively, it is crucial to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration and encourage the development of new and creative approaches. Science-based solutions provide us with a solid foundation for understanding the complexities of environmental issues and developing effective strategies to mitigate the impact.

The Kashmir University Herbarium, housed in the Centre, preserves the treasure-house of plant wealth – precious natural heritage of this Himalayan region. In the current biodiversity-crisis world, the KASH assumes distinction in preserving the precious collection of our natural heritage. It is a repository of reference specimens that serve as the basic tools for plant identification and other facets of biodiversity research. The distinguished achievements of our Centre include securing research projects from renowned funding agencies such as ISRO,DST, DST-SERB, MoEF&CC, NMHS and J&K Govt. This success extends to faculty members, staff and research scholars. Our Centre's commitment to practical experience is evident through extensive field work, publications and books. Furthermore, Over the years, the Centre is unfailingly providing scientific nomenclature and identification services to hundreds of research scholars and scientists from other departments of this University, and the various departments of State Government, particularly, SKUAST (K), Forests, Environment, Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture, etc. Frequently, students from various schools and colleges visit the herbaria, and demonstration sessions are being conducted to learn the techniques and role of herbarium. These accomplishments serve as the distinguishing characteristics of our Centre.

I strongly urge all stakeholders to join forces and engage in collaborative efforts to position our Centre as an attractive choice for research scholars who aspire to pursue a career in plant taxonomy and biodiversity. By working together, we have the power to make substantial contributions to the protection of the biodiversity. Our collective efforts will contribute to ensuring a sustainable and enhanced quality of life for everyone.