Miyawaki Forest of Kalsi
Anoop Nautiyal
This week’s Wednesday was special & different. I got the opportunity to visit a #Miyawaki forest on the outskirts of #Dehradun in a place called Kalsi. The one-hectare (10,000 Sq Meters) forest has been developed by the Research Wing of the Forest Department, Govt. of #Uttarakhand.
Before I come to the forest & the stupendous results that have been achieved, a short story about lantana which is an invasive & exotic weed species. It is one of the main ecosystem threats in large parts of India. Lantana is a prodigious flower & seed-producing species that colonizes vast areas rapidly. It pushes out native shrub & grass species depriving the forest ecosystems of biodiversity of flora & fauna. Concentrations of dry lantana bushes also pose a serious fire risk during the summer months.
Those who may not be aware would ask what exactly is Miyawaki? It is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki that helps build dense, native forests. The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster & the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area that becomes maintenance-free after the first three years. The method includes planting trees (only native species) as close as possible in the same area which saves space with the planted saplings supporting each other, thereby preventing the growth of weeds.
The Research Wing decided to focus on the twin goals of eradicating lantana & replacing it with the Miyawaki forest three years ago (2020) in Kalsi. They identified more than 50 local plant species & prepared 10,000 plant saplings in the nursery. The one-hectare land was levelled & biomass which would help enhance perforation capacity, water retention capacity & nutrients in it were mixed with the soil.
The results have been phenomenal, to say the least. While a lot of hard work has gone into developing the forest that now boasts of close to 9,500 trees in a variety of native species; the success of the model is a clear inspiration for scaling up & implementing it in other areas. It is equally heartening to know that there are other success stories of Miyawaki forests that have come up in different parts of our own country. As India urbanizes rapidly & green spaces continue to shrink, the Miyawaki technique is clearly one of the green/silver bullets that help increase the tree cover in our climate-challenged cities.
PS: The driving force behind the Miyawaki forest in Kalsi is IFS officer & Ramon Magsaysay awardee Sanjiv Chaturvedi. The globally recognized anti-corruption crusader has been working relentlessly with his young brigade in different parts of Uttarakhand; setting up & nurturing numerous parks, gardens & conservatories. I am fortunate that the camera-shy Sanjiv took the trouble of taking me all the way to Kalsi so I could see the Miyawaki forest. Extremely grateful for his time & efforts!
The writer is a founder of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) foundation, Uttarakhand
