Mangaluru: In a major push towards developing a green district, Vana Charitable Trust, led by environmentalist Jeeth Milan Roche, is transforming urban spaces across the city into thriving, biodiverse forest ecosystems. Initiated amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the ambitious greening initiative operates annually as a focused six-month drive from April to Sept, reviving local biodiversity through native plantations.Marking the start of the project’s third phase at the Pachanady green buffer zone, a new Miyawaki urban forest plantation drive was inaugurated on Thursday. The project is being executed as a joint CSR initiative supported by Syngene International Ltd and the Biocon Foundation, in collaboration with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.Manju R, environmental officer at KSPCB Mangaluru, and Ganaraj Pavalkodi, HR head at Syngene International, inaugurated the event by planting a sapling each to give the phase a head start.Emphasising the ecological impact of the drive, Manju R noted, “Developing a dense green buffer around the waste processing site will effectively eliminate foul odor and fly nuisance while restoring environmental balance.”The ongoing third phase at Pachanady aims to plant around 1,600 saplings using the rapid-growth Miyawaki technique. This builds on the trust’s extensive work across other locations, including the completed Deralakatte biodiversity project, where 3,500 saplings representing over 200 native Western Ghats species, hundreds of shrubs, and soil-stabilising vetiver grass were planted along canal bunds. Additional drives have added 450 saplings at KPT College and 700 at KPT Hostel campus.Expanding its horizons further, the organisation is set to commence a massive mangrove plantation drive next month, targeting 40,000 saplings. Reflecting on the mission, Jeeth Milan Roche said, “We are planting these native species to make the soil stronger and give birds, insects, and other local wildlife a safe place to live.”
