Trees for Villagers

Project Purpose
Trees for Rural Communities

Location
The project involves plantation of local tree species on the revenue wastelands and catchment of river Mahi in Dhnudhava and Sarnal villages of Kheda district, Gujarat, India.

Aim

• To provide livelihood opportunities to the people.
• To prevent soil erosion on the 75-mile long river bank.
• To improve soil fertility and recharge the groundwater.
• To preserve the local fauna of the area.
• To increase awareness among the community on the importance of trees.

Why trees?
The banks of the river Mahi experiences massive flooding and soil erosion. This results in immobility, crop loss and renders the land uncultivable, according to the Foundation for Ecological Security.  The water results in the formation of deep ravines thus making the cropland infertile. The organisation also mentions the importance of trees in checking the problem. The trees planted to hold the soil together thus preventing it from being washed away and increase the water holding capacity of the soil, mentions the World Agroforestry Centre.  

The project area is endowed with an enormous variety of bird species, reptiles, fish species, amphibians and tree species. The 9th May, 2016 article in the Times of India, ‘36 animal, plant species endangered in Gujarat’, mentions the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of endangered species in Gujarat, including the black mahseer, golden mahaseer, leatherback sea turtle, Indian white-backed vulture, long-billed vulture, red-headed vulture, steppe eagle, greater adjutant- stork, great Indian bastard, lesser florican, sociable lapwing, spotted greenshank, forest spotted owlet, dhole, caracal, blue whale, fin whale and Indian wild ass. The local trees planted provides habitat to these species.

Tree Species
The dominant forest type is Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, the species to be planted here include Desi Babool (Acacia nilotica), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), Karanj (Pongamia pinnata), Saragva (Moringa oleifera), Ber (Ziziphus spp.), Kanji (Holoptelea integrifolia) Kasid (Cassia siamea) and Kothi (Limonia acidissima).
 
Social Impact
The trees planted will improve the local environment by conserving the soil against the severe erosion and will recharge the ground-water. This will, in turn, improve the environment and contribute to the agricultural output. The trees will hold the soil, preventing rapid flow of water thus checking the erosional process, controlling the formation of ravines, preventing siltation in the river and protecting the water bodies. The local species will provide Non-Timber Forest Products to provide livelihood opportunities to the community. Alongside the community, the rich biodiversity of the area will also benefit from the conservation of the soil, water and the natural habitat of the area.

Adoption Summary