KOCHI: Now, to see the world-famous Miyawaki forests, one doesn’t have to go far. The Cochin University Of Science and Technology (Cusat) will soon be sporting a fairly large patch of the urban forest. The project is being implemented at the university by Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (KDISC).
According to a varsity official, Miyawaki 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 and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual.
It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area and becomes maintenance-free after the first three years,” said the official. “Usually such forests are planted on 10 to 20 cents of land in urban area. At Cusat, 10 cents of land has been prepared for the purpose and 1,600 trees from various native species will be planted at the site. The area will be a protected site,” said the university official.