73 MIYAWAKI FORESTATION: A SUSTAINABLE WAY TOWARDS
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION Raj Hariyani
BBA Student, Daly College of Business Management, Indore Tapas Upadhyay
Asst. Professor, Daly College of Business Management, Indore
Abstract: The environment restoration is the key for the sustainable development. The concern for ecological restoration is increasing day by day as the graph of pollution is increasing at very fast pace. The most effective way to reduce the pollutants from our environment is planting more and more trees. This paper discusses about Miyawaki forestation techniques which is an effective way to conquer all environmental maladies. This paper also discusses about the effective use of Miyawaki forestation in conserving Indian Climate. The methods and steps of Miyawaki forestation are described in the paper. This paper is an attempt to discuss the benefits and various successful projects of Miyawaki Forestation in India and Abroad.
Keywords: Miyawaki forest, Environmental protection, Ecological Restoration 1. INTRODUCTION
The environment restoration is the key for the sustainable development. The concern for ecological restoration is increasing day by day as the graph of pollution is increasing at very fast pace. The most effective way to reduce the pollutants from our environment is planting more and more trees. A Japanese technique of creating dense and multi-layered, where only native species are developed very close to each other, utilising very less space. It is found that up to 3 saplings can be grown in 1 square meter of land. This technique was pioneered by Dr. Akira Miyawaki a Japanese botanist in 1980s. This innovative reforestation technique of planting the native and indigenous plant species was taken as a challenge by Dr. Miyawaki for restoration of ecosystem, preventing the natural and man-made disasters, increasing the oxygen level and reducing the pollution levels from the air. This reforestation technique has the power to convert barren lands into fertile forests in span of few years.
Schirone, Salis and Vessella (2011).This reforestation method is growing popular amongst Corporate houses, Government Agencies, Forest departments, NGOs and Educational Institutes.
2. MIYAWAKI FOREST PROJECTS IN INDIA
During the International Online Conference on Indigenous Environmentalism for Scholars and Saviours, Subhendu Sharma (2020) opined that Miyawaki reforestation techniques helps in growing the dense forests of native species that it becomes hard to see or walk through them. He added that most ancient civilizations were born in the forests. The trees, animals, birds, rivers are always played a pivotal role in Indian Culture. The forests are very important part of Indian Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. The conservation of Indian wildlife and forest was never as urgent as it is today.
The Government of India plans to increase its geographical land covered by forest from 24 to 33% and eyes Miyawaki Forestation as a solution. This reforestation technique is gladly adopted by the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and many other states of India. The state Government in Telangana is working on a project TelanganaKu Haritha Haram, a large-scale tree-planting program with an estimated budget of rupees 5000 millions.
In the year 2019 Mr Praveen Bardeshi the commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) offered to plant 377,415 plants spreading over 31 locations all across Mumbai covering a land area of 100 acres. The cost of this project was estimated around 35crores.
74 Locations in Mumbai Area (sq. Meter) No. Of trees No. Of species
Central rail side warehouse company warehouse ltd. 2300 sq. Meter 7000 plants 40
Bhandup Complex 1200 sq. Meter 3500 plants 46 INS hamla 2500 sq. Meter 25,500 plants 40 3. MIYAWAKI FOREST PROJECTS AROUND THE GLOBE
Miyawaki Forests are seen as a boon not only in India but, around the various countries of the globe. From its home country Japan where this concept was started it has well-travelled and beneficially used by the countries like United states of American, Netherlands, Lebanon, Singapore, Pakistan, Iran and Nicaragua, opined Mr. Shubhendu Sharma (2020).
3.1 Steps to develop Miyawaki forest
Six major steps are associated in the development of a Miyawaki forestation.
Step I: As part of the first step the soil is surveyed in order to gain information on the physical texture of the soil present in land area, the ph. level of the soil.This survey helps in identifying the organic material that can be used to improve the quality of the soil & in nourishing it for better development of saplings. Materials like cocoa peat is used for water retention, farm & yard manure is put into use, jeevamrit&ghanejeevamrit is used as a soil enhancer.
Step II: The second step conducts a survey to identify the native species that can be developed on the given land. In this process the nearest local forest is visited to collect the necessary qualitative and quantitative data. This helps us identify 2 things the native species that must be developed and the seeds to ne used based on the fertility of the soil.
Step III: In the third step saplings are procured, here we identify the supplier who can supply us with the saplings based on the quality standards established and we create a supply chain to sustained stocking of saplings.
Step IV: In the fourth step soil preparation is undertaken. The manpower associated with the project ensures that correct mixture of biomass is used & soil nourishment is achieved at all layers of the soil.
Step V: In the fifth step the manpower performs the plantation of all species as per the guidelines on different layers of the soil.
Step VI: In the sixth and final step maintenance of saplings and the land under plantation is being done. Before becoming self-sustainable the Miyawaki forest requires 2-3 years of maintenance this step the biomass material is either added or replaced as per the specifications of the land. The land is being monitored on regular intervals to ensure steady growth and development.
Why Miyawaki forestation over Regular forestation?
There has always been a debate from the beginning that how and why Miyawaki forestation is more successful than the regular plantation drives? In regular plantation drives the plant saplings are planted on the plain grounds, while in Miyawaki forestation multi-layered plantation techniques are used, where it comprises of layers of shrubs, sub-tree layer, Tree layer and Emergent tree layer. Because of this multi-layering technique the dense, green forest can be formed. The Miyawaki forests are 30 times denser, 10 times better in growth and 100 times more biologically diverse and natural. The success rate of these forests is far better than the traditional tree planting. The Miyawaki forests can create a better synergy which makes them more inviting for the native species of animals, birds and insects and hence plays a vital role in conservation of ecosystem.
4. Benefits of Miyawaki Forestation
Among its many benefits Miyawaki forest requires zero maintenance after three years and is self-sustained.
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When compared against traditional method of plantation Miyawaki forest can develop at a rate 10 times faster, they are 100% organic and are 30 times denser than a traditional forest.
The plants grown promise a growth of 1 meter every year.
They don’t require any chemical fertilizer to support their growth instead local biomass is utilised to fertilize the soil.
This method can help carbon generating manufacturing units to become Carbon neutral and can work as Carbon Sink.
Miyawaki forest helps in reducing the temperature.
These forests contribute in attracting animals, birds & insects and hence help in protecting native flora and fauna.
5. Conclusions
The Miyawaki Forestation technique of Forestation is seen as a solution to urban plantation by the government of India. In comparison to conventional method of developing forest the Miyawaki technique delivers results 10 times faster, they are 30 times denser and are 100% organic and are more bio diverse, supporting carbon absorption as well as assisting in reducing the temperature of the region in which they are grown. This technique is used by several corporate manufacturing firms in an attempt to make their manufacturing unit carbon neutral. Miyawaki forests can be seen as a ray of hope in the times when our planet is experiencing various maladies like global warming, extension of species, ecological imbalance etc. It is a sacred duty of every citizen of the plant to protect it in order to make things sustainable.
References
1. Schirone, B., Salis, A.andVessella, F.(2011). Effectiveness of the Miyawaki method in Mediterranean forest restoration programs. Landscape and Ecological Engineering 7(1):81-92
2. The Miyawaki Method: A Better Way to Build Forests? | JSTOR Daily
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largest-miyawaki-urban-forest/story-Gy70kJ0bDToRRVMkBqVWNO.html
5. Singh, R. [EcoSikh]. (2020, May 27), Two Years Old Miyawaki Forest in Bengaluru (2019), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4DuRhx-Ik4
6. Peepal Baba [filmyuniverse].(2014, Aug 25 ) One Man 10 Million Trees, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lNz2HHL-5M
7. [Youth Ki Awaaz]. (2019, Jun 3). Your iPhone Can Help Create A Forest |
Shubhendu Sharma | Entrepreneur,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKt5htrDvlk
8. [SayTreesSaveTrees]. (2019, Sep 18). Growth of a Miyawaki Forest in a city, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO0IWAgJdlk
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