A group of students of Perikkalloor Government Higher Secondary School in Wayanad have set a model in restoring the green canopy on the banks of the Kabani River by planting and conserving 40 varieties of Rare Endemic and Threatened (RET) species of trees to the Western Ghats.
When desertification began to pose a serious threat to the lives of villagers on the banks of the Kabani River in Mullankolly and Pulpally grama panchayats on the Kerala Karnataka border, students of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Haritha Sena and Forestry Club of the school launched the eco-restoration project titled ‘Kutty Vanam’ or miniature forest on the right bank of the river in 2015.
Bamboo groves
“We launched the project, with the active support of the Social Forestry Department, after we realised that the major reason for desertification was the massive destruction of bamboo groves on the banks of the river and nearby forest areas,” M.R. Ravi, Principal of the school, said. The bamboo groves served the purpose of a barrier to prevent hot wind from the Karnataka area of the Deccan Plateau, he said.
“The project is also aimed at sensitizing the public and students to the significance of conserving the RET plant species, preventing soil erosion and giving first-hand experience to the children on the role of trees in reducing global warming, P.N. Saji, NSS programme officer of the school, said.
As many as 100 students are engaged in the task and they are conserving nearly 80 RET species of plants and hundreds of bamboo seedlings, regenerated naturally after the massive blooming, on nearly 50 cents of revenue land beside the river .
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