- Title: India turns to geo-tagging to conserve Kashmir's iconic 'Chinar' trees
- Date: 23rd January 2025
- Summary: SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA (JANUARY 23, 2025) (ANI- No use India) TOURISTS AT ENTRANCE OF SRINAGAR'S ICONIC MUGHAL GARDEN SIGNBOARD CHINAR TREES IN GARDEN VARIOUS OF WORKERS NAILING GEOTAGS ON TREES TRUNKS SCIENTIST AT FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND PROJECT HEAD, SYED TARIQ, TALKING TO WORKER GEO-TAG ON TREE TRUNK (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi, English and Urdu) SCIENTIST AT F
- Embargoed: 6th February 2025 13:40
- Keywords: Chinar Conserve India Jammu and Kashmir QR code environment geo-tagging trees
- Location: SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA
- City: SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA
- Country: India
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA001LSJQWY7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Authorities in Indian Kashmir are geo-tagging thousands of 'Chinar' trees to create a comprehensive database for their management and help conserve them amid threats from rising urbanisation, road-widening projects and diseases.
The trees are a cultural and ecological symbol of the restive northern territory, which is claimed in full by India and Pakistan and ruled in part by both, but hundreds of them have been lost over the last few decades.
Under the geo-tagging process, QR codes are attached to each surveyed tree, recording information about 25 characteristics, including its geographical location, health, age, and growing patterns, enabling conservationists to track changes and address risk factors.
The public can also scan the code to access the details, Syed Tariq, the head of the project said.
"We have identified (geo-tagged) 28, 560 trees so far and taken readings of their physical characters…we have locked the details of the trees in the QR codes," Tariq said.
The Chinar trees take around 150 years to reach their full size of up to 30 metres (100 ft) in height with a girth of 10 to 15 metres (30 to 50 ft) at ground level.
The oldest Chinar in the region lies on the outskirts of the city of Srinagar and is around 650 years old.
The portion of Kashmir under India's control was roiled by violence for decades as militants fought security forces, but the conflict has eased in recent years, leading to a gradual rise in development projects and tourism.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir last week to inaugurate a tunnel and, during the event, said that numerous road and rail connectivity projects in the region would be completed in the coming days. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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