Plantation of local tree saplings adjoining the Manjalar Dam Watershed, situated in Periyakulam Taluk of Theni District and the Kuthiraiyar Dam Watershed, situated in Palani Taluk of Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India. The plantation area is located amidst Periyar and the Anamalai Tiger Reserves.
Aim
Carbon Sequestration
Increase in
Green Cover
Generation of
Rural Employment
Control Soil Erosion
Conservation of
Water Table
Why trees?
“Sedimentation and siltation of reservoirs is a matter of vital concern in all water bodies” (Compendium of silting of reservoirs in India, April 2015). Optimal management of water resources is the prime necessity of our time, owing to the growing population and development. To check surface run-off and sediment flow to water bodies, plantation of the right tree species can be an efficient solution, enhancing biodiversity habitats and the forest products that can be utilised by locals. Vegetation and plant debris slow surface runoff, preventing sediment and sediment-bound contaminants from entering surface water. Once in the soil, contaminants can be immobilized and transformed by soil microbes or taken up by vegetation. Groundwater flowing through the root zone is also filtered by these processes. Additionally, trees can trap windblown dust before it enters stream and lakes’ (United States Department of Agriculture). Thus, the plantation of the right local tree species with the help of our planting partner, UEF, along the catchment of the Manjalar helps in improving the water quality with a check on reservoir siltation with enhanced carbon sequestration potential.
Social Impact
Plantation of valued tree trees among the identified sites will enhance the biodiversity of the region. Local livelihoods are mostly dependent on forest resources such as fruit, fodder, gum, honey, biomass, fuelwood, etc. The local economy comprising of families living below the poverty line will improve over time. The selected area is inhabited mostly by the Palaiyar community. They are traditional nomadic hunter-gatherers, honey hunters, and foragers. The Palaiyar community livelihood subsists on trades of forest products, food cultivation, and beekeeping. Some work intermittently as wage labourers, mostly on plantations. (Culture and lifestyle of Paliyan tribes, Social Research Journal, K Shenbaham). Locals show a high dependency on forest resources. They collect Jamun, amla, neem, tamarind, wild-honey, and fish.
Coconut, maize, paddy, sugarcane, and mango are major cash crops in the region. Increasing incidences of crop depredation from wild animals like wild boar, monkey, bison, deer cause major damages to this sensitive local economy. Additionally, implementing the project would be able to create about 3,000 rural workdays, supplementing to sensitive local economy reaching out to nearly 200 households mainly living below the poverty line. The project would also create awareness and involve the community directly in conservation action taking sustainable developmental pathways.
Adoption Status:
Name of the Company
Number of Trees
FY
World Wide Fund (WWF)
15,000
2019-20
Larsen & Toubro Infotech
7,500
2018-19
Tree Species
Common Name
Mahua or Mahwa Tree
Botanical Name Madhuca longifolia
Common Name
Shisham or Sheeshami
Botanical Name Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC.
Common Name
Arjuna
Botanical Name Terminalia Arjuna
Common Name
Neem
Botanical Name Azadirachta indica
Common Name
Karanj
Botanical Name Pongamia pinnata
Common Name
Seemathangadi
Botanical Name Cassia siamea
Common Name
Jamun
Botanical Name Syzygium cumini
Common Name
Bamboo
Botanical Name Bambusa vulgaris
Common Name
Custard Apple
Botanical Name Annona squamosa
Common Name
Salwood
Botanical Name Adenanthera pavonina
Common Name
Garmada
Botanical Name Cassia fistula
Common Name
Indigo
Botanical Name Wrightia tinctoria
Common Name
Gulmohar
Botanical Name Delonix regia
Common Name
Khair
Botanical Name Acacia catechu
Common Name
Kino
Botanical Name Pterocarpus marsupium
Common Name
Katmauli
Botanical Name Bauhinia racemosa
Common Name
Indian Elm
Botanical Name Holoptelea integrifolia
Common Name
Bel
Botanical Name Aegle marmelos
Common Name
Acacia
Botanical Name Acacia auriculiformis
Common Name
Copper Pod
Botanical Name Peltophorum ferrugineum
Common Name
Maulsari
Botanical Name Mimusops elengi
Common Name
Saona
Botanical Name Lagerstroemia indica
Common Name
Calabash
Botanical Name Crescentia cujete
Common Name
Wood Apple
Botanical Name Feronia limonia
Common Name
Piangani
Botanical Name Dalgia Paniculata
Common Name
White Babul
Botanical Name Acacia Leucophloea
Common Name
Krishna Siris
Botanical Name Albizia amara
Common Name
Behada
Botanical Name Terminalia bellirica
Planters
Audit for Manjalar, Tamil Nadu
INDEPENDENT AUDIT
Manjalar, Tamil Nadu
Excerpt
Total saplings planted in Theni were 7,500 in 2018-19. A different type of seeds for planting were collected from the forest and used for nursery. Saplings were selected according to the ecological conditions and observing the success ratio of the local species surviving there. Plantation of endemic species, weeding and seeding apart from allowing natural regeneration are the methods adopted for restoration of degraded areas. These efforts have ensured the success ratio to be 81%
The planting has been carried out as per the plan and the number of saplings physically verified agrees with the number of saplings planted (as per the report of Grow-Trees partner). We are of the opinion that looking to the steps taken by Grow-Trees partner, i.e., location of the site, encouragement to planting and positive response from the village to grow, nurture and monitor the planting, the result of the activity will be affirmative.