Pune, August 28, 2025: A high school student from Pune has launched a new digital tool designed to help communities protect and monitor urban green cover. Called The Tree Map, the app was developed by 17-year-old Aryaman Deshmukh, an environmental volunteer, to allow citizens, schools, and institutions to map and track trees with accuracy and purpose.
The idea grew out of Aryaman’s years of volunteering with Jeevitnadi, an NGO working on river conservation in Pune. “We’ve seen time and again that data changes the conversation,” Aryaman said. “If you can show what species grow where, how rare or old they are, or what risks a green space face, you shift the debate from ‘development versus nature’ to something more informed and balanced. The Tree Map puts the power to do so in anyone’s hands.”
Through the app, users can input species type, girth, height, photos, and GPS location of trees. This data can be used to visualise biodiversity, identify threats to tree clusters, strengthen petitions against felling, and support local government in managing green areas.
“At Jeevitnadi, our mission is to connect citizens to the rivers and conserve and protect them in the process. The Tree Map, developed by our young volunteer, simplifies the work and broadens participation, engaging students, citizens, schools, and institutions that care about the environment. This democratises conservation and environmental action accessible to all,” said Shubha Kulkarni of Jeevitnadi.
The app is already being piloted along Pune’s riverbanks, where mapping has been used to oppose projects threatening riparian zones. It is also being adopted by schools as a hands-on educational activity. “With the app that Aryaman has built, we are confident our students can take an active part in conserving the environment and protecting trees,” said Nalini Sengupta, Founder of Vidya Valley School. Ipsita Rodricks, Director at the school, added that such projects help integrate experiential learning with community-focused action.
The Tree Map aligns with India’s commitments under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 11 and 15) and could be scaled for use across institutions, colleges, corporates, and municipal bodies. It also offers potential for CSR initiatives, enabling companies to track tree-planting drives transparently.
By digitising biodiversity documentation, the app aims to bridge gaps in local government capacity and provide citizens with a tool to actively contribute to environmental stewardship.
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