Forest Department mulls developing urban forest in Mangaluru

With rapid urbanisation and an increase in development activities, greenery is being lost in Mangaluru.

In a bid to increase the green cover, the forest department is mulling over developing urban forests using the Miyawaki method in the available small patches of land in the city.

The urban forest can be developed on a small patch of land by taking up intensive planting of fruit-bearing, flowering and plants bearing nuts. There are plans to develop at least 50 Miyawaki method forests in the city, Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr Dinesh Kumar told DH.

The local and native species of plants will be planted. This will help in maintaining a hierarchy of canopy. The issue of dust and air pollution can be addressed by developing such urban forests in various locations in the city, he said.

The first Miyawaki urban forest was developed in the city by the Ramakrishna Mission and the forest department at Kottara Chowki. The urban forest was developed on five cents of triangular-shaped land at the entrance of the Zilla Panchayat premises in Kottara by sustained efforts of the Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission, the ZP and the forest department in 2019, he added.

Saplings of ‘Arthi,’ sandalwood, rakthachandana, guava, mango, jackfruit, punarpuli, nerale and other species of plants were planted. Another urban forest had come up in front of Patrika Bhavana at Ladyhill with the CSR fund from KIOCL Ltd, he said.

“There are no funds from the government for developing urban forests. The forest department will contact donors and CSR funds to raise such urban forests in the city. The plants will be planted during the rainy season,” the DCF said.

The land is being identified at various locations for taking up the urban forests on a large scale, he added.

Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki that helps to develop dense, native forests.

The approach is aimed to ensure that the plant growth is 10 times faster, and the resulting plantation 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area.

Ramakrishna Mission in Mangaluru had developed two urban forests on the method of Miyawaki on the premises of the Mutt near Mangaladevi. In each urban forest, they have planted 500 saplings.

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