Sustainability has become an important part of education, and schools in Dubai are going the extra mile to do their bit. Three students from GEMS Modern Academy, Dubai, have shown how young people can turn environmental awareness into meaningful action. By blending hands-on fieldwork with digital tools, Ishanvi Shetty, Laiba Adnaan and Swana Athithi have created an initiative that not only helps students better understand the natural world around them, but also builds a lasting resource for schools to track and protect biodiversity on campus.
Connector spoke with the three students to learn more about the initiative and its benefits.
The Flora and Fauna Footprint is a biodiversity mapping initiative launched with the objective of creating a comprehensive digital map of the flora within GEMS Modern Academy. The project serves as a foundational platform for future environmental initiatives within the school, offering a centralised online platform that provides detailed information on plant species, population counts, and other relevant botanical data.
The Flora and Fauna Footprint project was initiated in 2024 by Ishanvi Shetty, Laiba Adnaan and Swana Athithi, with the aim of integrating it into the academic curriculum of both middle and senior school students.
Speaking about the project, Ishanvi said, “The concept emerged during an Eco Council meeting. Hearing various students pitch their project ideas led me to realise the lack of focus on initiatives tackling ground-up change by educating students and driving their passion and appreciation for the environment around them. Moreover, I realised that there was a gaping logistical issue in the implementation of several projects: the lack of tangible data representing the biodiversity population in our school.”
That is where Flora and Fauna Footprint found its purpose. Rather than limiting environmental education to theory, the project turns students into active participants in conservation. “We carried out the project by dividing school maps into sections, assigning sections to various classes, and having students physically map biodiversity using plant identification apps. I then coded the data collected to create an interactive digital database for our school’s biodiversity,” Ishanvi added.
While the technical side formed the backbone of the initiative, its success also depended on participation and coordination. Laiba Adnaan played a key role in introducing the project during Value Education classes and compiling student-submitted information into a comprehensive digital map.
“One of the most interesting discoveries was the sheer variety of plant species present across the school campus. While I was aware that the school was actively involved in planting and maintaining greenery, I didn’t realise the scale and diversity until we began collecting data from students. It was surprising to see how many different species existed in spaces we pass by every day without noticing,” said Laiba.
Laiba added that the project created meaningful change among students. Through mapping and learning about different plant species, students developed a stronger sense of environmental responsibility and began to take ownership of their surroundings.
For Swana Athithi, one of the most rewarding moments came when the team completed the website and finally saw the biodiversity map come to life. After months of work, the finished platform represented more than just a technical achievement.
“Creating the website and finally seeing the results of our hard work was one of the most rewarding moments of the initiative. We dedicated so much of our time to bringing our vision to life. It felt really satisfying,” Swana shared.
However, getting there was not without challenges. Scheduling data collection around school events and exams proved difficult, and the team also had to ensure the information being gathered was consistent and reliable.
“To tackle this, we worked with supervisors and teachers, created guidelines and presentations for students, and added teacher oversight to improve accuracy. When some areas of the campus remained unmapped, we stepped in and collected the missing data ourselves,” said Swana.
Now, the project has moved well beyond a single campus. Flora And Fauna Footprint has already reached more than seven schools and over 1,500 students across the UAE, expanding from a school initiative into a broader model for youth-led environmental engagement.
The team hopes it will inspire other young people to launch similar initiatives in their own communities, while also serving as a practical database for future conservation efforts.