How we research Himalayan forests and wildlife, keep a green campus, plant trees across the Doon Valley, and help rural families earn a living from the land sustainably.
UPES report on Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, 2025–26.
Open 15.1 Research as a separate report
UPES research supports Himalayan forests, wildlife and farmland, from fire detection and habitat mapping to medicinal plants and organic farming, and develops biological ways to clean polluted soil and water.
The figures below cover UPES research publications on land, forests, soils and biodiversity from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).
Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).
| Theme | Papers |
|---|---|
| Bioremediation and pollution clean-up | 106 |
| Biodiversity, forests and wildlife | 93 |
| Biochar, biomass and waste to value | 79 |
| Soil, land use and agriculture | 62 |
| Wastewater, microalgae and bioresources | 50 |
| Climate change | 18 |
| Remote sensing and GIS | 13 |
The full list of 314 publications since 2013, with links, is on the life-on-land research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).
From 26 April to 5 May 2025, five students from the HERE Technologies Centre of Excellence in the School of Computer Science worked with the Wildlife Institute of India, walking 2-kilometre transects to log animal sightings and GPS coordinates and surveying vegetation plots every 400 metres, to support habitat-density models.
UPES SEED research projects study forest fire burning in Uttarakhand and its impact on the environment, and IoT-based early detection of flash floods and landslides in the Himalaya.
The Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Laboratory, with its polyhouses and nurseries, trains and supports rural women farmers in nearby villages to grow tulsi, chamomile, lemongrass and stevia.
Open 15.2 Green campus as a separate report
UPES's campuses keep extensive tree cover and native plants.
Sources and further reading
Open 15.3 Forests as a separate report
UPES students and staff plant trees with the Forest Department, NGOs, schools and villagers across the Doon Valley.
Sources and further reading
Open 15.4 Communities as a separate report
UPES helps rural women earn a living from the land sustainably and teaches young people to value nature.
Sources and further reading
Open Events and activities as a separate report
13 events from UPES schools and departments support this goal. Each event has its own report with a description, photograph and, where one exists, a link to the original post.
Final-year B.Sc. Geology and M.Sc. Applied Geology students learned from India’s geological heritage in the field.
Event report → · Original post
Research by a School of Business faculty member was published in the Journal of Business Research (ABDC A, Q1).
Event report → · Original post
The School of Business hosted the launch of the book by Prof Gautam Desiraju and Deekhit Bhattacharya, with a masterclass for MBA logistics and supply chain students.
Event report → · Original post
Two days of competitive esports play for campus teams.
Event report → · Original post
School of Health Sciences and Technology students took on roles such as microbiologists and environmental analysts to identify forest pathogens and design control strategies.
Event report → · Original post
Four School of Law students presented research papers at the second International Conference on Climate Justice and Sustainable Environment, 2025.
Event report → · Original post
On 9 July 2025, the School of Law hosted Arindam Ghosh of Khaitan & Co and Anoop Nautiyal of the SDC Foundation, Dehradun, for new students.
Event report → · Original post
At Vidhiutsav 2025, Anil Raturi, Chairman of the Uttarakhand Right to Service Commission, spoke on the Preamble as the soul of the Indian Constitution.
Event report → · Original post
At Vidhiutsav 2025, Raj Kumar Bajpai, IFS, Additional Director of IGNFA, Dehradun, spoke on environmental concerns and the law.
Event report → · Original post
A School of Law alumnus from the first batch (2007–2012) cleared the Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record examination.
Event report → · Original post
A School of Law student won second prize in the essay competition held at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun.
Event report → · Original post
On 20–21 September 2024, the School of Law, with the Uttarakhand Forest Department and the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, held an international conference on environmental sustainability and energy law.
Event report → · Original post
The School for Life launched Project SPEAK (Support Program for English Advancement and Knowledge) with a workshop on articulation and fluency.
Event report → · Original postOpen All sources as a separate report
Every website and document used in this report, and the sections it supports. Each initiative and event also has its own page, linked from its name in the report.
| Source | Type | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| UPES SEED projects 2022–2024 | 15.1 Research for forests, wildlife and soils | |
| UPES SDG 15 report | 15.2 A green campus 15.4 Communities, livelihoods and learning | |
| UPES students research with WII at Kuno National Park | Website | 15.1 Research for forests, wildlife and soils |
| Himalayan Institute for Learning and Leadership (HILL) | Website | 15.1 Research for forests, wildlife and soils |
| How UPES is contributing to the SDGs | Website | 15.1 Research for forests, wildlife and soils 15.2 A green campus 15.3 Planting and restoring forests 15.4 Communities, livelihoods and learning |
| Flora Saviors | Website | 15.3 Planting and restoring forests |
| Srijan Social Internship | Website | 15.3 Planting and restoring forests |
| Project Vikalp | Website | 15.4 Communities, livelihoods and learning |
| UPES life-on-land research publications: full list | Publication list | 15.1 Research for forests, wildlife and soils |