At a time when rapid Urbanisation and other forms of human activities are posing a threat to plant , the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is making an effort to conserve and popularise locally important as well as endangered species with help from local bodies.
The board has announced Haritha Gramam (Village Forest), a project designed for decentralised Biodiversity conservation which will be implemented through the biodiversity management committees (BMC) of the local bodies.
As the name suggests, the aim is to create tiny ‘forests’ in public land and school compounds by planting fruit trees. Additionally, these green lungs will feature endangered plant species from the Kerala part of the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats region, KSBB said.
Each ‘Haritha Gramam’ should cover at least 10 cents of land. Only Plants/trees found locally and species that are considered threatened in Kerala should be selected for planting. The village forests will be created and managed with the help of the Kudumbashree units and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural EMPLOYMENT Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers.