VIJAYAWADA: The State government has intensified its seed ball dispersal programme aimed at restoring degraded forests and increasing green cover, with more than 2.06 crore seed balls dispersed across 20,929 hectares so far.
In an official release on Saturday, the Forest department officials stated that the programme, launched under the direction of Deputy Chief Minister and Forest and Environment Minister Pawan Kalyan, has achieved around 85 percent of its targeted progress. The initiative is being implemented by the Forest department in coordination with local communities, NGOs and other government departments.
The seed balls are prepared using seeds of indigenous and multipurpose tree species, with a major portion being utilised for restoration of degraded forest areas. Drone technology is being extensively deployed to reach interior forest areas that are difficult for human teams to access.
With rainfall improving in several forest regions, drones have been used to identify areas with depleted vegetation and disperse seed balls based on geographical and climatic suitability. The programme has been taken up extensively in Tirupati, Anantapur, Kurnool, Guntur, Rajamahendravaram, NTR and Visakhapatnam districts.
Forest field staff, along with residents of villages bordering forest areas, have actively participated in preparing, transporting and dispersing the seed balls.
The department has set a target of dispersing more than three crore seed balls during the current season. The initiative was inspired by Pawan Kalyan, who prepared the first seed ball at Moolapadu Eco Park on World Environment Day. The programme subsequently led to the preparation of 2.82 crore seed balls.