Now Scan a QR code and know about a plant

Siliguri: The North Bengal Science Center (NBSC) has taken a unique initiative to increase knowledge about trees by putting QR codes on the trees found inside the science centre.

On the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day, the NBSC introduced the QR code system for the centre’s visitors. Initially, they have put up the QR codes on around 10 trees. But soon QR codes will be put up on all the trees, especially the medicinal plants to spread awareness.

“There are thousands of species of trees in the science centre. Most of the visitors see them but do not know about the variants, descriptions, and details of the trees. Therefore, we, along with our students, took this initiative to make people aware of the trees. People nowadays are familiar with QR codes. We chose this popular method. This will help students with their studies also,” said Biswajit Kundu, Education Officer of NBSC.

The NBSC located in Matigara has a variety of trees including mango, jackfruit, travellers tree, a variety of flowering plants and trees along with medicinal plants. Every day, many students from different schools in this region including neighbouring districts of North Bengal visit the centre.

“This step will surely increase students’ interest in trees and nature, which will help in saving the environment,” Kundu further added.

They have prepared a database on trees and uploaded the data on the official website of NBSC. This data includes scientific names of plants; tree variations; uses along with effects and side effects of medicinal plants. Separate QR codes for each tree have been generated and put up on the trees. When a visitor scans the QR code, they

immediately get all the data from the website.