BioQuest is an annual 3-day Citizen Science Initiative designed to bring together students, academicians, researchers, and local communities in diverse ecological landscapes.

It offers experiential learning and hands-on field exposure, encouraging participants to engage deeply with local biodiversity and ecological processes. Each BioQuest focuses on exploring and learning about flora and fauna, and the conservation challenges they face — including habitat loss, climate change, and human-wildlife conflict.

Rooted in the local ecological and cultural context, BioQuest fosters curiosity, collaborative learning, and community-driven conservation!

Immersive Learning beyond classrooms!

Active learning facilitated by empaneled experts and local wildlife and culture ambassadors. Pedagogy and curriculum built to provide hands-on field exposure.

  • Biodiversit Walks

  • Nature Journaling & Bird Watching

  • Heritage Trek and Cultural performances

  • Documentary Screening & Expert Led sessions

Group of people standing outdoors on a dirt road with trees and a red shaded structure behind them.
A man in a blue jacket and gray bucket hat holding a large insect on his arm outdoors with green foliage and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
A black, white, and orange caterpillar with orange head and legs on a green leaf.
Group of 19 people posing outdoors on green grass with forest and mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.
An insect with yellow spots on its wings and black and orange markings on its body crawling on a blue fabric surface.
Colorful butterfly with orange and black patterned wings perched on a person's finger.
A spider with a large, colorful abdomen hanging from a web in a forested area.
Close-up of a butterfly resting on a green leaf, showing brown wings with orange and white markings.
Three children smiling and posing together outdoors on a green hillside with mountains in the background, during daytime.
A group of people gathered around a table outdoors, listening to an elderly woman demonstrating craftwork with natural materials. The setting is a scenic mountainous area with trees and a partly cloudy sky.
A woman with glasses and dark hair smiling and holding green leaves while peeking from a hole in the trunk of a large tree in a forested area.
A group of people gathered outdoors in a forest, some are looking through binoculars while others take photos or listen, surrounded by green trees on a sunny day.

BioQuest 2024

BioQuest 2024 was held between Oct 4-6, 2024 in a small village named Dharkot in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The program saw participation from forestry students of different institutes. The program was run in collaboration with students, academicians, researchers and the local community.

A diverse mix of participants from different states of India, ranging from Andaman and Nicobar to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, participated in the program.

15 observers recorded more than 1000 observations and close to 400 species of native flora and fauna as part of a BioBlitz organized as part of the program.

Key highlights included butterflies like Western Courtier and Sorrel Sapphire, Huntsman spiders and Joro spiders, more than 50 species of birds like Speckled Piculet, Verditer Flycatcher and Himalayan Griffon, moths like the Tropical Tiger moths, Clouded Tiger moths and Wainscot moths, Bark mantises, locusts and various species of native flora. All observations were recorded digitally using iNaturalist and ebird.