Scientists compile largest meta-dataset of tree inventory studies from India
Researchers have compiled InvenTree-meta, the largest database of tree inventory studies from India, covering 465 studies spanning 1991 to 2023. The project aims to address the 'India-gap' in global ecological research by centralizing fragmented data that was previously inaccessible.
Why it matters
Centralizing this data allows Indian forests to be better represented in global climate change and biodiversity models, which have historically lacked sufficient data from the region.
A new study led by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and other institutions has compiled InvenTree-meta, the largest meta-dataset of tree inventory studies from India.
The database brings together information from 465 published studies conducted between 1991 and 2023, spanning more than 4,650 hectares of forests across all of India’s biomes.
Scientists around the world use vast forest datasets to understand how trees store carbon, support biodiversity, and respond to climate change. Despite being home to some of the world’s most diverse and human-influenced forests, South Asia, especially India, contributes little to global forest databases.
By harmonising datasets of tree inventory studies from India into a common framework, the researchers say, Indian forests could become a much stronger part of global ecological analyses.
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