Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) in Lucknow have successfully launched their fourth Miyawaki forest on the Kanpur Road campus.
The Miyawaki plantation method is highly successful around the world because it follows the principles of natural reforestation, using native trees and replicating the processes of natural forest regeneration.
Named after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, the method was developed in the 1970s to densify green cover on a small area of land. The process involves planting two to four species of native trees per square metre.
Ravi Kumar Singh, an Indian Forest Service officer in Lucknow's Awadh division, said the fourth Miyawaki forest, covering 100 square metres, will have 1,000 plantations, including sandalwood, rudraksh (basil), amla, mango, guava, jamun and kathal. There will also be medicinal plants such as Tulsi, Aloe Vera, Lemongrass, Giloy, Methi and Sweet Neem.
He said the Miyawaki method offers significant advantages over traditional forestry, especially for smaller reforestation projects, and is particularly effective in urban environments.
Lucknow Set-Up Its Fourth Urban Miyawaki Forest
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In addition to the Kanpur Road Campus, Miyawaki plantations have been successfully established by the National Botanical Research Institute in Aliganj, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) in Gudamba.
According to Ashish Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Miyawaki forests have higher biodiversity than surrounding areas and are an ideal method for creating diverse forest ecosystems.
Tiwari said that in today's climate emergency and with repeated warnings of global biodiversity loss, the creation of such a diverse forest through Miyawaki Forest could be a game changer.