Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, May 20: Amidst rapid urbanisation, green cover is steadily disappearing across Mangaluru city and its rural surroundings. In response, a team of environmentally conscious individuals has launched an initiative to plant and nurture saplings. The first phase of the drive has begun at Pilikula, where the planting is now underway.

Under the campaign ‘Amara’ (Nature is Progress), and as part of the initiative Plant a Tree, Adopt a Tree, the drive has commenced within the premises of the Pilikula Golf Club. Previously, over 400 acacia trees occupied the space. These are currently being cleared to make way for around 4,000 native saplings of various species. An additional 2,500 saplings will be planted in areas outside the main campus. The initiative is being supported by Vana Charitable Trust and the Pilikula Golf Club.

Preserving native mango varieties

A notable feature of the project is the planting of about 150 to 180 native varieties of mango trees. These will be sourced from the Mavu Mantapa gene bank, which is spearheaded by veterinary surgeon Dr P Manohar Upadhya. The initiative aims to conserve rare mango types from regions including Kasaragod, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, and Uttara Kannada. All saplings will be irrigated using treated water.

Jeeth Milan Roche of Vana Charitable Trust said, “We are planting the saplings before the onset of the monsoon. Each sapling needs at least a month to establish itself. The terrain at Pilikula consists of laterite soil, and we’ve dug pits measuring about 1.5 to 2 feet wide and 4.5 to 5 feet deep. For this, we’re using a tractor-mounted digger.”