A splash of green

A few concerned individuals are trying to reverse the tide by restoring damaged ecosystems. The author meets some of them and finds out what they have done

If you had visited the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur in Rajasthan before 2005, you would have noticed that the land surrounding the edifice was littered with rocks, typical of the Thar desert. And all around, the stony landscape would have been broken only by stands of a shrub the locals called Baavlia('The mad one'). It is the Mesquite, a Mexican species accidentally imported here and now a problem due to its invasive nature.

Fast forward to 2013. As you approach the rocky topography on which the fort stands, you come upon an entirely different landscape. From neem trees to Lindenbergia and from rubber vine to jujube, the landscape is green with plants. You also see moths, bees, butterflies, sparrows, bulbuls and lizards and are told that porcupines and wild boar are often sighted too.

This, then, is the 'miracle of Mehrangarh'. Where there were lifeless rocks till eight years ago, there are now 130 species of plants native to the Marwar region's rocky desert, all growing in a 70-hectare space. The man responsible for this is Pradip Krishen, author of Trees of Delhi, one-time filmmaker and now a full-time 'green restorer'.

"In 2004-05, I was working on restoring the Nagaur Fort. The Mehrangarh Museum Trust was looking for somebody who could green the wasteland surrounding Mehrangarh. INTACH suggested my name," says Krishen. He and his team, assisted by local rock miners (khandwalias), set about removing the Baavlia first. Once that was done, the team planted new plants in the pits that had been dug. The plants, all Thar natives, had been selected after extensive scouring of the surrounding area. Today, the 70-hectare green space is officially the 'Rao Jodha Park', complete with two walking trails and a visitors' centre.

Krishen's successful experiment at Mehrangarh is just one of many being conducted across India by conscientious individuals wanting to restore what has been damaged. The process has a name - 'restoration ecology'. Another noteworthy example is the Aravali Bio-Diversity Park on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road in the National Capital Region. A joint project of NGO I am Gurgaon, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon and 30 corporations, the park has been developed to restore the thorny scrub forests of the severely denuded northern Aravalis, especially the Dhok and Salai.

"The idea of the park germinated in early 2010 and we broke ground on June 5, 2010," says Latika Thukral of I am Gurgaon. Like the Baavlia in Jodhpur, the team here had to weed out the Vilayati Keekar. "There are now 90 species of shrubs, herbs, climbers and trees in the park. There is a huge jump in the number of bird species spotted in the park. There are also mammals and reptiles," says Thukral.

Older than Jodhpur and Gurgaon, the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Kerala's border district of Wayanad is an even greater pioneering effort. Founded in 1981 by a German, Wolfgang Theuerkauf, the sanctuary is home to 2,000 species of plants endemic to the Western Ghats. There are also birds, snakes, amphibians and mammals. Theuerkauf founded the sanctuary on a patch of land that he bought. "As this area was encircled by forests, no one was willing to look after it. I decided to do so," he says. About 10 acres of the 55-acre sanctuary is a garden and nursery, while the rest is restored forest land, fields and grazing areas.

"We believe in gardening back the biosphere. The Ghats are under tremendous pressure. Correct interventions and the process of healing forests back to their natural state are an important and complex activity," says Suprabha Seshan, a sanctuary trustee. Agrees Krishen: "Habitat restoration is one of the most important activities. It will not yield money. It is a goal worth pursuing for its own sake. Just like cleaning rivers."

Most importantly, restoration ecology is a continuous, evolving process. For one, local residents, both animal and human can destroy such restored areas just like that. "Earlier, villagers used to graze their animals in the park. Now, we have talked them out of it. We are also fencing the park. But the fence is breached often. Nilgai eat our plants all the time," says Thukral.

Continuous, expensive and extensive as restoration ecology is, will it be able to catch on? "There is a huge potential for it in India. There is growing awareness among people to conserve the environment. And there is growing financial support that is flowing in from individuals and agencies. It is going to be the next big step in saving humanity," says Thukral.