Kallen Pokkudan, an environmental activist who lived in Ezhome, a village along the banks of the Pazhayangadi River in Kannur district, Kerala, spent the larger share of his life planting, protecting and caring for mangroves.
He planted over a lakh mangrove trees, creating one of the longest stretches of mangrove forests in the State. Pokkudan passed away in 2015, but his story is one that continues to inspire.
Pokkudan’s act of restoration is one among the stories that feature in #restoration pictales, a series of restoration stories from around the world compiled by the Kochi-based Greenstorm Foundation, a trust formed to spread awareness on environmental conservation. Held on the sidelines of its 13th International Nature Photography Contest, Restoration Pictales is an initiative to inspire people to restore ecosystems. “The best way to do it is to showcase restoration efforts by others,” says Dileep Narayanan, founder and managing trustee of Greenstorm Foundation.
Solar panels installed at the Cochin International Airport
A research team comprising four women — Ann George, Niveditha Narendran, Lakshmi Shaji and Nikhita Thevannor, has been working on identifying, shortlisting and verifying restoration projects around the world and posting a story on the organisation’s social media handles every day. “If these images and stories succeed in inspiring one person to try their hand at restoration, it would be a great step ahead.” adds Dileep.
The Kanjli wetland in Punjab
From the stories closer home such as the solar panels installed at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), making it the world’s first airport fully powered by solar energy, and Kanjli wetland, the artificial wetland in Punjab created in 1870 by Raja Randhir Singh, to international examples such as Saihanba, the largest man-made plantation in the world, in China and Miyawaki forest building introduced by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, each effort is a story of hope. Started on June 5, the team hopes to compile at least 100 stories of restoration.
13th International Nature Photography Contest
Greenstorm is simultaneously inviting entries to its annual online photography contest. Held in association with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the theme this year is “Restore Green Lineage”. Photographers (both professional and amateur) can send in images of restoration projects they have witnessed or have been part of. The participant is expected to write a small story of the restoration project with the picture.
Advertising professional Prathap Suthan will chair the three-member jury. Wildlife photographer, presenter and documentary filmmaker Aishwarya Sridhar and American landscape architect Michael Little, known for ecological restoration projects, are the other two jury members. Thirty shortlisted photographs will be exhibited in an online exhibition, of which threewinners will be selected based on the jury’s marks and viewers’ votes. The first three winners will get cash prizes of ₹1 lakh.
Last year, the competition received entries from 52 countries.
Entry is free. The last date for submitting entries is June 30. For information, log on to www.greenstorm.green.
