The School has been established by the university with the aim of conducting teaching, research and extension programmes revolving round bioresources. Beginning has been made with the establishment of Centre for Biodiversity Studies, under the aegis of which exploration of bioresources of Pir Panjal mountain range, in the lap of which the Centre is located, has already been undertaken. The Centre is involved in activities which can broadly be classified into following 4 heads:

I. Research

a. Biodiversity Inventorization (Flora, Fauna, Microbes).
b. Exploration of intraspecific variation using morphological, cytological and molecular makers.
c. Estimation of species abundance.
d. Studying life cycle patterns of dominant and economically useful taxa.
e. Identification of endemics, studying their abundance and attempting their multiplication.
f. Identification of threatened taxa and exploring causes of threat, remedying the causes and attempting their rehabilitation.
g. Locating exotics and assessing their impact on native species.
h. Running M.Phil and Ph.D programmes.

II. Conservation

a. Maintenance of plant and animal taxa which are already present in the Pir Panjal Biodiversity Conservatory.
b. Enriching and diversifying the existing flora and fauna to make the park truly representative.
c. In- and ex-situ conservation of endangered taxa.
d. In-vitro and in-vivo conservation of endangered taxa.
e. Reproductive Biology of threatened and endemic taxa.
f. Multiplication of endemics and economically useful taxa.
g. Halt invasion by exotic species.
h. Exploration of plant-animal interaction of all kinds.

III. Extension

a. Carrying bio-resource based technologies developed in various laboratories in India and abroad and already tested in the field, to farming communities of district Rajouri.
b. The technologies approved for dissemination among rural women of Rajouri by the Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, are:

i. Vermicomposting.
ii. Biocrafts.
iii. Medicinal plant cultivation.
iv. Quail farming.
v. Mushroom culturing.
vi. Floriculture.

c. Organize women trained in the above crafts into co-operatives to initiate and encourage entrepreneurship.
d. Arrange linkages between budding women entrepreneurs and the market.
e. Link rural women with banks to mobilize loans.
f. Provide them technical support to foster bio-resources based enterprise.
g. Organize in-service training programmes for staff of the bio-resource related organizations.
IV. Environmental Education
a. Following creation of the Regional Resource Centre with the DBT funds, establish DNA clubs in 10 schools, 3 each in Ladakh and Kashmir and 4 in Jammu division.
b. Conduct orientation programmes for teachers-in-charge of DNA clubs to update their knowledge in latest developments in the filed of Biosciences and Biotechnology.
c. Overview the functioning of each DNA club. Improvise improvements to orient them scientifically and make them educative and vibrant.
d. Provide Environment education to different target groups through lectures, films, seminars, debates etc.
e. Bring different target groups face to face with the marvels of nature and the human onslaught on environment by arranging nature trails and field trips to forests, zoos, conservatories, botanical gardens etc.
f. Celebrate all events associated with environment such as Wildlife Week, Biodiversity Day, World Environment Day, Van Mahotsava, Earth Day etc. to create awareness.
g. Organize Eco-clubs and involve school children in making biodiversity registers, calendars, greeting cards, posters, caps, souvenirs etc. depicting natures' marvels.

Research Projects:

The research programmes of the Centre are being funded by different departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Govt. of India. Detail of the projects is given below:

1. Restoration of Dhanore Mountain Range: Ministry of Forests and Environment, New Delhi 13.65 Lacs
2. Regional Resource Agency for DNA clubs in J&K State: Deptt. of Biotechnology, New Delhi 82.00 Lacs
3. Bioresource based training for the rural women of Rajouri-hinterland of J&K: Deptt. of Biotechnology, New Delhi 58.064 Lacs
4. Biodiversity of nematodes of Alpine and Sub alpine Zone of Himalayan range of Jammu & Kashmir: Deptt. of Science & Technology, New Delhi 21.00 Lacs
5. Reproductive Biology and Genetic variability of Rauwolfia serpentine, Tinospora cordifolia and Asparagus racemosus. Deptt. of Science & Technology, New Delhi 09.30 Lacs

Two more projects which are in the pipeline are:

(i) Multiplication and conservation of two over-exploited economically important Umbellifers Ferula jeshkeana and Bunium persicum and reproductive biology of Picrorhiza kurroa, Dioscorea deltoidea and Valeriana wallichii.
(ii) Biodiversity of plant, soil and aquatic nematodes.
Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi.

P. P. Biodiversity Park

The Centre for Studies is maintaining the Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park spread on an area of 5.200 Kanals. The park is a repository of the flora of the Pir Panjal mountain range. The avian fauna and the flowering plant flora have been inventorised. Attached to the Park are the herbarium, museum, pits for vermicomposting, Quail shed, mushroom culture room and the nurseryBiodiversity.

Beginning has also been made to develop a herbal garden to raise germplasm of all plants of known medicinal value; All variants Chemotypes, ecotypes and morphotypes are being maintained separately for later follow-up.