social forestry

Alarmed over the massive degradation of its lush green cover, Kerala is to launch an ambitious social forestry project aimed at instilling a love for nature in the student community, labourers and coastal inhabitants. The programme, conceived by the state forest department and to be launched in June, will have three elements - 'My Tree' for students, 'Vazhiyorathanal' (roadside tree shades) for labourers, and a coastal forest element for those who live in such areas.The forest department will provide saplings of around 25 varieties of trees including teak, jackfruit, anjili (Artocarpus hirsuta), and gooseberry that would be planted as part of the programme.A district-level organising committee has been formed with the district collector as chairman and the deputy director of education as convenor. The committee comprises heads of various departments, representatives of the teachers' unions, parent-teacher associations and environmental activists.