THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Years ago, Ban Ki-moon, then secretary-general of the United Nations, spoke about the world being in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit. He urged the world to “kick the habit”. That was the theme of the World Environment Day then.
One of the ways adopted to kick this habit was to focus on increasing green cover. Now, years later, as one more World Environment Day is here, the focus is on land restoration and stopping desertification. The theme this year is ‘Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration’.
Land restoration, the mainstay of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), is the clarion call given across the world for the protection and revival of ecosystems, as part of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Kerala is actively planning to jump on the bandwagon and double its efforts to create green islets in rural and urban spaces. The Haritha Keralam Mission has come out with a plan to create 1,000 more Pachathuruthu or green islets to its already existing lot to double the green cover in the state to meet the SDG goals as well as to work towards its ‘Net-Zero Carbon Janangaliloode’ campaign.
Across the state, 810 such spaces have been identified so far, of which 51 are in 41 local bodies in the capital district. In the urban space, one is coming up on the two-acre space at Travancore Titanium Ltd, where fruit trees will be planted with the already existing cashews.
The Pachathuruthu project took off in 2019, again on World Environment Day when a neermatalam (three-leaved caper) sapling was planted at the Family Health Centre at Pothencode. Now, the place is brimming with green activity, with plants, including medicinal herbs, adalodakam (Malabar Nut), karinochi (chaste tree), mailanchi (henna) and chembarathi (hibiscus), presenting picturesque scene.
The project is aimed at pooling resources at the local body level, joining hands with advisory agencies, employing MGNREGA workers at the rural and urban levels (along with the Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme), and embarking on planting saplings of vegetation that were indigenous or suited to the region.
“Yet, in the beginning, some plants were of the exotic species, some invasive too, such as the Lakshmi Taru,” says Sanjeev S U, assistant coordinator of Haritha Keralam Mission.
Now, Thiruvananthapuram has 453 spaces dedicated to the project — a major chunk of the 2,950 that were developed across the state from 2019 to March 2024. It probably comes after Kasaragod in the number of such spaces, with the border district having 672 islets. Ernakulam has 123 green spaces and Palakkad 271.
“There are some islets in the urban areas such as the one at Pongumoodu, EMS Nagar at Pattoor, and at Sri Chitra Home For Destitutes And Infirm. However, the islets spread out over acres are mostly found in rural areas. One such islet has been developed on over 24 acres near Neyyar Dam,” Sanjeev says.
To create pachathurthu, the Haritha Keralam resource persons team up with local body members and identify land. Any space over half a cent is considered.
The next step is engaging agencies such as the employment guarantee scheme for labour and manpower. For seedlings, technical support, and guidance, help comes from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), social forestry, KFRI, State Medicinal Plant Board, and the Malabar Botanical Gardens (MBG).
Funds are provided by the local body and raised via sponsorships. The Forestry College of The Kerala Agricultural University or other such advisory agencies provide extra guidance for the project.
“Usually, the plants are selected keeping in mind the requirement and biodiversity of the space. We also look into water conservation activities,” says Asok C, district coordinator of Navakeralam Karma Padhathi 2. Selected plants include rare endangered tree species developed by agencies such as the JNTBGRI at Palode.
Dr E S Santosh Kumar, the senior technical officer of JNTBGRI says, the agency has developed about 45 endangered species with MBG and KFRI. The project is developed as part of the Green Kerala initiative, which pools into the global mission to plant ‘one trillion trees’.
“We have species such as Buchanania Palodensis that have just one mature tree left in the world. Recently, in a Kollam temple, we found a lone tree of Madhuca diplostemon (Kavilippa), another critically endangered species. We grow these saplings and share them with the project so that such endemic trees also get back their space,” says Santosh. The institute has so far provided saplings from 24 such species.
Indigenous trees are to be given an impetus, he adds. “We cut down these trees to plant exotic or foreign species. What happens then is we are being deprived of the ecological advantages the tree could give us. For example, ‘nellikka’ has Vitamin C in plenty required for our tropical existence. But if we consume oranges, a temperate fruit, instead, we would need 20 of them to match the Vitamin C content in one ‘nellikka’. So, such initiatives need more local focus,” he says.
Local support
Though technical support could be given by research institutes and experts, the project can go ahead only with the help of the local population, Santosh adds.
The Haritha Keralam officials also corroborate this, pointing out the total loss of about 618 islets of the 2,950 developed in the past five years. “Now, there are only 2,333 islets left spread out over 752.03 acres. In Thiruvananthapuram, one such space is ‘Rananganam’ on the police station premises in Pangode where the vegetation, mostly bamboo-based brought in by the tribals around the area, has now dried up with none to take care of,” Sanjeev explains.
The reasons, many say, are the lack of proper maintenance, construction activities on public land, natural calamities and anti-social elements. “This was the lacunae in the scheme so far. The coordination committee to monitor the pachathuruthu was not well established. Hence, this time, we are putting in place a proper structure,” he adds.
The renewed effort to set up 1,000 islets also includes a focus on reviving 220 spaces that now need sprucing up. “Gaps have to be filled in some spaces, replanting in the others, for which 15,504 saplings are needed. This will be locally arranged,” says Sanjeev. The plan is also to develop about 16 acres of mangroves in the southern districts, part of which will be to compensate for the 2.5 acres of mangrove lost to a Southern Railway project at Ernakulam.
The pachathuruthu will also include developing sacred groves in shrines as part of the Veda Haritham project. In Thiruvananthapuram, one such space is being developed on 20 acres at Sree Sankara College in Maruthoor. “The plan is to develop a ‘nakshatravanam’ to mark the 27 stars in the astronomical chart. Saplings of some of the trees will be provided by us,” says Asok.
There are a couple of private efforts too. One such was completed recently at Mannaniya College of Arts & Science where NSS volunteers developed a ‘sneharaamam’ on a two-cent land at Pangode.
“This is part of the NSS campaign to develop 3,000 such facilities across the state. Our volunteers developed a butterfly park in seven days during their camp,” says Dr Mumtaz S, NSS programme coordinator of the college.
“We are ready to back up such efforts,” says district coordinator Asok. “Recently, we visited the Indian Institute of Space Science Technology at Valiamala which has also created its own green space and water conservation facilities. They did not need our guidance but we did provide them certification,” he added.
Convergence of activities hence is the key to sustaining the new green plans, says Sanjeev. “We are trying to include people in procuring seedlings too. This time, there is a prompt action plan. Such efforts are needed to combat the effects of climate change,” he says.