There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
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Making a difference

Rishi Offline
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Bus-conductor who planted 3Lakh trees in 25 years


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Talking environment has almost become fashionable these days. But not often you meet someone like Marimuthu Yoganathan who works tirelessly to save our environment than he speaks. It all started when Yoganathan, a young boy, stood stubborn protesting the Timber mafias in the Nilgiris.

Marimuthu Yoganathan is popularly known as “The Tree man of India” & was born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India in 1969. He is currently working as a bus conductor on S-26, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation & runs on the Marudamalai-Gandhipuram route in Coimbatore.

In the last 25 years, he has planted more than 3,00,000 trees across 32 districts of Tamil Nadu.

Yoganathan was born in a poor family in Mayavaram, Thanjavur district. He lost his father when he was just one and a half years old. His mother moved to Nilgiris district to work in the tea gardens, and he stayed with his elder sister’s family to continue his studies.
He started campaigning against the cutting of trees in Nilgiris in the early 80’s and after that, he never looked back. 


Quote:I started planting trees when I was in Class eight. Yoganathan studied at a government school in Coimbatore where he has planted several trees.
I stopped my studies after Class 12 but continued to be involved in environmental activities as part of Tamil Nadu Green Movement.

By trekking the expanse of a state as large as TamilNadu, Yoganathan has visited every district; visited more than 3800 schools and colleges, have met lakhs of students for one cause; to create awareness on the importance of trees.


Quote:On my weekly off ,Monday, I plant trees in all educational institutions like schools, colleges and universities.

I would say in my case at least 50 per cent of the saplings I planted have grown into trees.

More than 30 years later, he has the same passion for environmental conservation, but holding a government job as bus conductor, he has chosen the softer option of tree planting to express his love for nature.



*This image is copyright of its original author

On June 5, World Environment Day, he says, around 5,000 schools in the state responded to his appeal to take an oath to protect the environment and plant at least one sapling in their campus.

Quote:I wrote letters to about 18,000 schools appealing them to take a pledge to avoid non-eco friendly products and plant saplings.

He avidly gobbled up information on flora and fauna, which he now shares with the children he meets in schools. 
These days he carries a LCD projector that he purchased for Rs 37,000 from a PF loan to schools for his environmental awareness programmes, where he shares interesting facts of nature with the children.

He says, tending the saplings is a greater challenge than planting them.

When he asks a child to plant a sapling, he names the plant after the child. Suppose Ramu plants a pungai (Indian beech) sapling, hr would name it Ramu pungai and ask the boy to treat the sapling as his sibling and give it water daily...


Quote:I ask the children to collect grass and lay it around the plant. I explain to them that it is grass mulching. Similarly, I ask them to bring dry leaves and put it around the plant. I tell them it is leaf mulching.

In his 17 years of service as bus conductor he has been transferred 40 times, because of his frequent absence from work.

At Yoganathan's home in Coimbatore the awards he has received from various organisations find a pride of place.

After he received Earth Matters’ Eco Warrior award from then Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, in 2008, life has become better for him, with officials taking a more lenient view on him since.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Later on, Government of Tamil Nadu has conferred on him the tiltle Suttru Suzhal Sevai Veerar Award.
He's also recieved CNN-IBN's Real Heroes Award in 2011, & Periyar Award in 2015.

These were among the 14 awards that Yoganathan has received so far for his pet-project 'UyirVaza Oru Mararn'. Under the initiative the students have been taught to plant one tree sapling on their birth day.

Over these indefatigably working years, Yoganathan has met, interacted with many people like Former President Dr. Abdul Kalam, Organic farming expert and a green crusader G. Nammalvar etc. 

At home, wife Valarmathi, a housewife, daughters Monisha, 24, who works as a cashier in a bank, and Sathyapriya, 18, studying B Com second year, have always been supportive, he says.

Yoganathan stands with a principle “To live, plant a tree”.
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peter Offline
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#17

Class all the way.
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United States Polar Offline
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That man is really making a difference.
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Canada Saiya Offline
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( This post was last modified: 10-08-2018, 02:45 PM by Rishi )

Some cool inventions towards making efforts to save the Earth that I hope become mainstream:
https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/vid...4Sheb4j-_Y



"A poor farmer is called crazy for planting "useless" seeds. 20 years later, the world sees the result and call him hero instead!":
https://www.facebook.com/newsnercom/vide...nref=story



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United States Polar Offline
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@Saiya, this happens a lot when people do big, inspiring things....they get insulted for following their passion and at the end many are jealous or supportive of the inspiring people, mostly at the end.
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Rishi Offline
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(01-16-2018, 01:42 AM)Polar Wrote: @Saiya, this happens a lot when people do big, inspiring things....they get insulted for following their passion and at the end many are jealous or supportive of the inspiring people, mostly at the end.

Yup.. That's the rule.

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Rishi Offline
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From the WWF Blog.

From hunting to honey: a poacher’s story
REBECCA MAY
I have heard people talk of poachers who have changed their ways and who now work as rangers – well, back in September I met such a person. I was in Jilin Province in North East China, within the Amur-Heilong Ecoregion, where I met Mr Wu who told me his story.

Caught red-handed

Mr Wu works for a Forest Farm (a smaller unit under the Jilin Forest Bureau), and his main job was logging. However, he also poached deer.

Mr Wu, Huangnihe © Becci May WWF-UK

*This image is copyright of its original author

Around a year ago, the Director of Huangnihe Nature Reserve, Mr Li, a very passionate, caring and energetic man, found him in the forest carrying snares, and started a discussion with him. Mr Li could have turned him into the police, but instead they went back to Mr Wu’s home, where his wife and daughter learnt of his poaching activity.

I spoke to Mr Wu about what happened that day and his feelings towards poaching now. He said “In the past, I was fined if I was caught poaching, and so I just went out to kill more deer so that I could pay back the fine. This system did not change my behaviour. I stopped poaching around a year ago, when Mr Li caught me carrying snares in the forest. I had a heart to heart conversation with Mr Li, who persuaded me not to poach anymore.”

He explained how “morally it was wrong, and actually poaching comes with risks and it only gave me small money – Mr Li offered me an alternative – working for conservation. Now if I see a poacher, I try to persuade them not to poach, as Mr Li had persuaded me a year ago.”

The key here was that Mr Wu had been offered an alternative, sustainable livelihood. Mr Li asked him if he would stop poaching and instead work on conservation activities, such as patrolling and monitoring, where Mr Wu’s tracking skills could be helpful to conservation. Mr Wu agreed.

Bee-keeping cooperative

Mr Wu is also a member of the local bee-keeping cooperative, along with Mr Xu, also an ex-poacher, who showed me around the hives. This provides them with extra income, and WWF are working with them to help them improve the quality of their honey so that they can maximise this income. In the winter, they focus on patrolling and monitoring, and in the summer, they focus on honey.

Mr Xu, a member of the bee-keeping cooperative along with Mr Wu © Becci May WWF-UK

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The logging ban – an opportunity?

The main work of the staff of the Forest Farm used to be logging, until a logging ban in Jilin’s state forests was put in place last year. This was done mainly to assist the recovery of China’s wood resources, and presents opportunities, as well as challenges, for conservation and the return of the tiger.

The pine nuts, acorns, walnuts and a good understorey will provide important food for deer and wild boar (‘ungulates’), and so a healthy forest with Mongolian oak, Korean pine and other species is good habitat for these ungulates, which are important food sources for tigers. A healthy forest also supports local people’s need, providing fuel wood and food (mushrooms, fruit) for example.

However, there are challenges – a logging ban in this province may put extra pressure on forests elsewhere – in Russia, over the border, for example. Also, some people will need to find other income if their main source of income was from logging, and they might think about poaching to earn extra income.

It is important that there are other livelihood options for the local people who have been affected by this logging ban. The Government are providing some support, and WWF is also helping by setting up a cooperative for pine nut harvesting and processing, and bee-keeping cooperative for honey production. If these models work, they could be used in other areas too, to provide a sustainable source of income for local people.

A better life and tigers are returning

Mr Wu explained: “I earned around USD 2,000 per year for hunting, but now I earn around USD 8,000 a year combining my conservation work with bee-keeping and forest frog management.” He said he would not return to poaching, and was so pleased to see tigers returning to the area “In my childhood, I heard about tigers in the area, but I never saw one. Now we see the tiger here in Huangnihe. Last autumn I found a tiger footprint in the mud when out patrolling. I felt so happy. Tigers are returning, as the deer and wild board are increasing”.

Tiger pugmark, Huangnihe © Becci May WWF-UK
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Mr Wu and Mr Li led us along the valley within a Korean pine and broadleaf forest. They were so excited as they had seen a tiger pugmark there a few days ago and wanted to show us.
After walking for almost an hour, picking mushrooms on the way to cook for lunch, and snacking on mini Chinese kiwis that we found as we went, we finally found the pugmark in the mud – it looked pretty big to me, but may actually be a sub-adult male, as a male tiger pugmark can be over 10cm wide! In fact we kept walking and managed to track it for a while – the pugmarks were really clear.


I have seen camera images of tigers and a wonderful video of a tiger with cubs in China (see below), but I never thought I would see a tiger pugmark on my short visit – I was so pleased to see the evidence for myself that tigers really are returning to China
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Rishi Offline
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I joined Wildfact on this day last year, so here's a special one.


10 Ways to Volunteer as a Tiger Warrior in India
How to pitch in for the big cats, and not just on social media.


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I've listed some great volunteer opportunities that you can apply to, where you will not only help bring about change, but also learn on the job about the tiger and its habitat, the ecology and local communities, and consequently, about the conservation not just of a single species but of an ecosystem. These organisations do serious wildlife work, so applications will be vetted thoroughly. 
Be prepared to work on what they need, not on what you’d like to do for them. So while you might have expected to go into forests and be part of rescue missions during your time as a volunteer, the crucial need of the hour could actually be sitting at a desk in an office, entering wildlife data into a computer. And that contribution is just as relevant. Offer your skill sets... & make a difference.

Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS)
A non-profit charitable trust based out of Bengaluru, CWS has one of the most comprehensive volunteer programmes in the country. It practices science-based conservation, with special emphasis on ecology and conservation of the tiger and other large mammals. It aims to conduct and facilitate long-term wildlife research, study and conservation. You can apply for a volunteer programme at any point through the year; work—and opportunities—peak between mid-April and May. For more details, visit cwsindia.org, or write to: [email protected]


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Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)
WTI is dedicated to the conservation of nature and the protection of wildlife and its habitat. WTI works with more than one species and is not restricted to tiger conservation. The organisation is involved in projects all over the country and is consistently expanding operations to reach remote areas and include more causes into its fold. The team works with communities and the government to bring about change through awareness programmes and training modules, and is focused on the fight against wildlife crime. For more details, visit wti.org.in or write to [email protected].

Last Wilderness Foundation (LWF)
LWF aims to assist in tiger conservation through education and awareness. The team works with forest departments and tribal communities that live on the peripheries of forests to bring about localised change. In urban areas, LWF’s work includes education through schools, children’s programmes and awareness campaigns. As a volunteer, be prepared to be immersed in the experience, be it working in the office or out in the field, preparing modules and educating children in forested communities about conservation. For more details, visit thelastwilderness.org or write to [email protected].

Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT)
WCT operates across the country in its aim to help protect India’s biodiversity and threatened wildernesses. The team adopts a multi-pronged approach that involves these pillars: protection, training, livelihood, education, health and research. Work would include, but not be restricted to, working with forest departments, non-government organisations and individuals. WCT takes on volunteers for a minimum of a fortnight and interns for at least two months. For more details, visit wildlifeconservationtrust.org or write to [email protected].

WWF India
One of the most well-known names in conservation, WWF has been operating in many countries around the world, for over 40 years. In India, the organisation works across states and governments, trying to bring about change through local initiatives. For more details, visit wwfindia.org; or register as a volunteer here.

Aaranyak
Aaranyak works to foster the conservation of biodiversity in northeast India through research, environmental education, capacity building and advocacy for legal and policy reform. Outreach—and working with local communities—forms an important part of their mission. The organisation’s work is not restricted to tiger conservation; it is a larger conversation on biodiversity in that region. For more details, visit aaranyak.org or write to [email protected].

Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT)
TRACT focuses on conservation in the Chandrapur region in the Maharashtra region of central India. This includes 625 sq km of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. The team works on conflict issues, surveys, field-training workshops for forest departments and ground staff, and monitoring large carnivore populations. Previous experience working with wildlife in a similar field is essential and a minimum commitment of three months is preferred. For more details, visit tractindia.org or write to [email protected].

The Corbett Foundation (TCF)
Working towards a harmonious existence between humans and wildlife, TCF works in tiger reserves and critical tiger corridors in north, central and northeast India, and the Rann of Kutch. TCF uses a multi-faceted approach and hence, it is actively involved in conservation-oriented research, facilitating advocacy campaigns, spreading environmental awareness, providing primary healthcare and veterinary support to ecosystem-dependent communities and engaging in tribal welfare through sustainable development initiatives and vocational and livelihood training. For more details, visit corbettfoundation.org or write to [email protected].


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Green Guard Nature Organisation (GGNO)
GGNO is based in Assam, doing brilliant work with conservation, study and analysis, local communities and engaging in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. It was featured in Sanctuary Asia as an organisation involved in rescuing wild animals from illegal wildlife trade; providing alternative livelihoods for poachers, snake charmers and other communities involved in exploiting wildlife; identifying and surveying biodiversity-rich areas; and creating awareness about conservation issues. For more details, write to Rituraj Phukan at [email protected].

Wildlife Conservation and Development Centre (WLCDC)
The Wildlife Conservation and Development Centre (WLCDC) is an Umred-based NGO that was founded in 2009 by Roheet Karoo, the Honorary Wildlife Warden, with the aim to facilitate the safeguarding of unprotected wildlife corridors and tiger habitats in the Tadoba landscape of Maharashtra. For more details, write to [email protected].
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Sanju Offline
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( This post was last modified: 02-06-2019, 08:46 PM by Sanju )


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He Created a Forest!!!!

What will you do if you have 70 acres (0.28328 km2) land...?
You will raise some crops. won't you...?
or else you will make one more step forward to build a flat to start Real estate business... Right?
But, he is very unique...
This man did a thing which no one expected...
He turned his 70 acres land to a forest!!!
"We are taking lots of things from environment... Can't we giveback some of it again to the mother nature/Earth?"- this thought drove him to do so.
Not only people around him, his own family lastly was also against this action, but the man didn't back down...
Left the white collar Gazetted professional job of sitting in AC room, contributed his life to green forests...
This Forest God is Name is "Dusharla Satyanarayana" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusharla_Satyanarayana).
Read the story of him... - the 70 acres man forest

Quote:"The forest created by Satyanarayana has various types of crops and farm fields... but they are not for human utilization.
Small ponds, tanks and water holes are full of water... but they are not for crop irrigation.
Hundreds of Varieties of tree species or types grow there... but they are not for commercialisation.
All that wonderful Nature is to nurture the Nature itself... to give a shelter to wildlife, to save the ever declining forest environments, this is a great worship to rescue the Natural World around us."

This ain't a thing done by a big social organization/Hundreds of Environmentalists/conservationists/naturalists... it is a result or output of One and Only one man's determination and dedicational work!!!


Satyanarayana's Nature love, affection and care didn't happen in one day. Nalgonda district's Raghavapuram village common of two Telugu states is his village. The village's greenery made him to love Nature. He happily watched when plants grow and Lotuses bloom in the lake.

That interest continued even after he recruited in Bank employee job in 1977 at the age of 23. The Affection towards Nature, love towards environment grew in him day by day. The will to do something for Environment had been developing stronger and stronger.

For that, One day he stopped and decided. He decided something most of the people don't show courage even to think of it. He resigned from his profession after 3 yrs of job work which was the source of income.

*This image is copyright of its original author

There is a 70 acres (28.328 hectares) area roadside to Suryapeta-Khammam National Highway Road. The Price of that land is also high and above all it is an area where 2 types of crops can be raised or grown in the same area. He bought the land and decide to convert the land to a forest ecosystem. People scolded him for trying to do this act of converting land which equals in Gold to a forest ('gold' is for reference in Telugu language). He designed a precise plan to go forward.

Dusarla strived hard for some decades to grow and create a forest single handedly. He had gone to many places all over the country, brought different types of seeds and sowed them in the crop fields and farm lands. He looked after those crops all the time. He brought various plants in hundreds and started growing them there. All those plants are watered for many months only by him, no one came forward to volunteer or support his actions. He dug canals for those seedlings irrigation for many months. The plants grown like this now become huge trees.

He reintroduced tons of animal species and Plant species to this area and made a small scale self sustaining habitat like a natural reserve. He released Animals like Indian Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), rabbits into his forest. He didn't chase away hundreds of monkeys resided there and offered secure habitat to live, thrive and prosper. Besides that he himself cultivated crops like Tubers and Bajra (Pearl millet) to feed them. Just to grow Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), he dug 7 water holes and ponds.

Plant species: Rare Butea monosperma, hundreds of trees like Bauhinia racemosa and [i]Diospyros melanoxylon [/i](Bidi/tendu tree) also there in this forest. As these tendu or bidi tress (used wrapping material in manufacturing of tobacco cigarettes) are there in this forests, People from various parts of his Telangana State come to him to purchase for high rates however he don't accept to sell them. Crores of money is before him in the form of forest resources and products and no one can ask if he decides to sell and earn money coz it is not a protected area. But, he didn't do that to fulfill his dream and desire to help the nature. For that, he left his job or source of income, left his family, leading a simple life. Salute to his passion. Migratory and indigenous Birds shelter this forest. Tons of trees like Butea monosperma, Acacia, birichachena, jiginaka, movunchi, Ficus racemosa, Azadirachta indica, Balusu etc.., are present. Many insects, other small animals and creatures too exist.

Avifauna: Kingfishers, (Ploiceidae) Passerine weaver birds similar looking to Grosbeak, Cuckoos like Koel Bird, Rose-ringed parakeet, Eagles, hawks, Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker, water fowls, purple starling, Pond Heron, Doves, Myna, Common Quails, Rain Quails and many more etc..,

Mammals: Indian grey Mongoose, Indian Boar, Rhesus macaque, Hanuman Langur, various Snakes like Rat snake; common Indian Cobra, The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica), Various types of squirrels etc..,

Quote:This forest has earned some of the sacred belief things. Some pits in this forest has Lord Vishnu's Foot marks, Lord Vishnu's Linga form in Trishul, Tortoise shapings. These are worshiped by some devotees. On full moon days and Shiv ratri festivals, this place is crowded with people in great numbers.

                                                                                                       - Valtelli Pradeep (Author), Eenadu journalism School
"Nothing is impossible to man if he has will power. More people like this and (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadav_Payeng) Jaydev Payeng are required."
                                                                                                                                             


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"A Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus) on a tree in the forest"


Dusharla Satyanarayana (born 12 March 1954) is an Indian water rights activist and founder of Jala Sadhana Samithi (JSS). He is fighting for drinking and irrigation water for Nalgonda district in Telangana, formerly Andhra Pradesh, India, by completing decades old Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel scheme. He also supported statehood for Telangana. He is also Vice President of Suvidha. Jala Sadhana Samithi
He founded Jala Sadhana Samithi in 1980 to fight for the unjust treatment of water allocation to Nalgonda, which resulted in widespread cases of fluorosis. He did walkathons for water as well as Telangana statehood.
He did various types of protests like padayatras from Nalgonda to Srisailam, Yadagirigutta and Hyderabad to highlight the water woes of the people of the region in general and the fluoride victims of the district in particular. He did protests in Delhi.

Telugu Eenadu 31/12/2018 page 7 article Translation from Telugu to English by @Sanju






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smedz Offline
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One can make an awareness video, I plan on doing this on my YouTube channel and the video will be called "The Truth About Predator Hunting" where I'll debunking the hunters arguments and present the actual facts. So stay tuned!
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India sanjay Offline
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( This post was last modified: 01-30-2019, 10:27 PM by sanjay )

@smedz what is the link of your YouTube channel ?
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smedz Offline
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( This post was last modified: 01-31-2019, 08:02 AM by Rishi )

My first video may have some inaccuracies, but still proud of it nonetheless. But my channel is called "Gabriel Smedley's Animal Time".
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You have lovely cat and I love your effort.
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Karnataka Photographer Works For 3 Years, Transforms Barren Acre to Thriving Forest
It all began when Pompayya noticed the scrubby patch of land on the other side of the canal, that bordered his property, lie empty and transform into a general purpose dumping ground.
by Lekshmi Priya S February 1, 2019, 12:22 pm  
Quote:When I planted the first 50 saplings, I hoped that if even two of them survived, my work would prove significant. But fortunately, every single one of them found their footings. And three years later, over 800 trees stand tall in my forest!
These are the words of Pompayya Malemath, a wildlife enthusiast from Hospet in Karnataka, whose tireless efforts transformed a barren patch of rubbish-filled land to a thriving forest, as he says in just three years!
Adjacent to a high-level canal (HLC) near Kamalapur, 11 kilometres from Hospet and right next to his own property, this patch of green is a ray of sunshine for environment conservationists across the world.
A wildlife photographer and tour operator by profession, Pompayya’s fascination with wildlife and plants began at an early age.
Fascination turned to passion when he signed up as a volunteer at the Daroji Sloth Bear sanctuary, a step that paved the way for the conservationist in Pompayya to sprout wings.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Pompayya Malemath.
“During this time, I’d done all kinds of odd jobs, including carrying camera equipment, and in the process, learnt a lot including the names of all animal and plant species existing in the region. Credit for this goes to the wildlife enthusiasts and researchers at the sanctuary, whose passion and commitment for the cause of conservation inspired me to walk the same path,” says the 50-year-old to The Better India.
It all began when Pompayya noticed the scrubby patch of land on the other side of the canal, that bordered his property, lie empty and transform into a general purpose dumping ground. He felt an urge to rejuvenate the area by planting trees.
So he wrote to the Tungabhadra Board – seeking permission to do so.

*This image is copyright of its original author
Credits: Shivashankar Banagar.
“The idea was accepted by the Board—albeit on the condition that I couldn’t claim ownership over this patch as it belonged to the state. This was not a concern in my mind. Even my property, right next to the empty land, wasn’t fertile enough for regular farming activities,” he remembers.
Pompayya used his own plot for agroforestry, planting saplings there with the hope of growing trees that could be harvested for their fruit or wood. This knowledge came in handy when he decided to transform the land next door.
Pompayya confirmed he had not gotten any commercial gains from the empty land so far – treating it purely as a restoration effort.
“Maybe in a few years, some harvests can be sold. But my efforts weren’t centred on these gains. I just wanted to give back to the nature that has given us everything and planting trees seemed the best way to do so,” he says.
He began by planting native species like coconut, neem and papaya trees. When he planted the first fifty saplings, the nature of the land made him hope that even if two out of these survived, his efforts weren’t wasted.

*This image is copyright of its original author
Courtesy: Pompayya Malemath.
Fortunately, all of these saplings survived and that boosted Pompayya’s spirits greatly.
“I started out by first clearing the debris that people have been dumping on the plot. Since the region was known for its aridity, I had to survey the entire patch and soil quality to zero down on areas that showed potential. Once that was achieved, I marked down areas and with the help of my family members and friends, I dug two-foot trenches and filled it with good soil from the surroundings before getting on with the planting,” he explains.
Being an elected representative in his Panchayat, he began raising awareness about the need for conservation in his village as well. This got him in touch with the forestry department. Moved by his dedication, officials helped Pompayya by supplying him with saplings for free.
From Teak, Silver Oak and Melia Dubia (Malabar Neem), Pompayya also made sure to include fruit varieties like Mango and Guava, shady tree types like Singapore Cherry as well as native plants like wild Jasmine, Jamun and Amla in both plots – his own and the government’s plot.

*This image is copyright of its original author
Courtesy: Pompayya Malemath.
As for water for all of these trees, Pompayya fondly attributes his friend and neighbour Manjunath, who had volunteered to supply water for the saplings from his own borewell.
“We have about 800 trees here today, which together have recharged the groundwater table in the area over the years. I’ve made water holes in the land that do not dry up even in summers. About 70 species of birds, as well as animals like sloth bear, leopard, civet cat and the black-naped hare, have been sighted here. You can see the impact for yourself!” proudly adds Pompayya.
Interestingly, Pompayya has spent little over Rs 3 lakh from his own pocket over the entirety of three years – and that includes the amount he has paid in procuring manure for his trees.
One could say that Pompayya has been quite wise in all his conservational efforts. A prime example of his vision is how he managed to work out an innovative solution in a tricky situation.

*This image is copyright of its original author
A group of Grey Francolins at Pompayya’s forest. Courtesy: Pompayya Malemath.
“There was a small crack in the canal from which water would seep out intensively into the land with the onset of monsoon. When I reported this glitch to the concerned authorities, I got a weak response. That’s when I thought of routing this water that was getting wasted unnecessarily for a better purpose—a recharge pond,” he says.
Pompayya has been maintaining this water body as a pond, in which he had introduced fishes gradually. A true moment of euphoria had been when he began noticing tortoises coming and settling in this pond—something that had never happened before!
Building a mini ecosystem of its own, Pompayya shares that pond has managed to sustain itself throughout the year, even during the months when the canal runs dry.

*This image is copyright of its original author
Pompayya’s forest in 2018. Courtesy: Pompayya Malemath.
To anyone who wishes to pursue environment conservation, there is only one thing Pompayya has to say.

Read Also: Giving Up The Gun, These Ex-Militants Grew a Lush Forest on Barren Land In Just 10 Years!

“Planting lakhs of trees and leaving it to fend for itself is not how it works. Like raising one’s children, one needs to dedicatedly invest their time and efforts to nurture the saplings until they mature. I would suggest that selecting native saplings or ones that are attuned to similar climatic conditions is the best shot. Whether you plant one or a hundred trees, you should do it sensibly and most importantly, with care,” he concludes.
(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

*This image is copyright of its original author

Written by Lekshmi Priya S
Shuttling between existentialist views and Grey's Anatomy, Lekshmi has an insanely disturbing habit of binge reading. An ardent lover of animals and plants, she also specializes in cracking terribly sad jokes

https://www.thebetterindia.com/171244/karnataka-farmer-forest-conservation/
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Sanju Offline
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( This post was last modified: 02-14-2019, 05:51 PM by Sanju )



Over 20 years, Sebastião and Lélia Salgado decided to replant 1502 acres (6 km2 !!!) of previous rainforest land that was now barren. Check out these incredible results:
- planted over 2 million native seedlings of 290 plant and tree species.
- soil erosion has stopped and 8 natural springs have returned.
- 172 bird species, including 6 endangered have returned.
- 22 mammals including 2 endangered have returned.
- 15 reptile and 15 amphibian species have returned.
All this from 2 incredible people. Imagine what’s possible if we all put in the effort. What you do matters. ?
PC: @ecopandas
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