Coimbatore: “Miyawaki”, this Japanese word is becoming more familiar among Coimbatoreans, everyday. Even as the average temperature is increasing every year, the city's new exercise with 'Miyawaki' forest patches looks promising, as more such patches has brought back greenery here.
Coimbatore: “Miyawaki”, this Japanese word is becoming more familiar among Coimbatoreans, everyday. Even as the average temperature is increasing every year, the city's new exercise with 'Miyawaki' forest patches looks promising, as more such patches has brought back greenery here.
The method named after Akira Miyawaki, a botanist from Japan, was introduced first in Japan, when there was a need for immediate regeneration of green cover in most degraded lands in the country. This helped them create more green patches at a very short time than normal.
The need for Miyawaki
In the regional context, at a time when pollution is increasing rapidly and biodiversity is under threat in Coimbatore, green patches are the need of the hour. It is during such a time that NGO organisations here started taking up the Miyawaki method of plantation.
Singanallur lake introduced to Miyawaki
The method was initially introduced at the Singanallur Lake by the Centre for Urban Biodiversity Conservation and Education (CUBE) along with Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), in a bid to increase the biodiversity and greenery along the bunds of the lake.
The trial and error: 8000 saplings belonging to over 120 species
Elucidating on her experience in setting up Miyawaki patches in Singanallur, Vinny R. Peter, Secretary of CUBE said "So far, 12 Miyawaki patches have been created around the lake. We've planted more than 8000 saplings belonging to over 120 species in these patches. It was more like a trial and error method to begin with. It involves planting one sapling every three feet. Diverse varieties of saplings were planted randomly. We initially planted saplings at four to five ft from each other as a matter of trial."
She added that though they could not see visible results within few years of plantation. However, the method was proving to be successful in the following years.
Home for birds
"The lake bund began to nestle birds like owlets, frankolins, bats, butterflies, bees and tiny creatures who found home in the Miyawaki patches that cover the one km stretch of the lake. Even fresh water turtles were spotted nesting in these patches," she said.
Preparing Miyawaki patch
Briefing on the method, V. Sathish, member of CUBE said that they had planted trees that are native to the region. "While planting, the ground should be dug upto five or six feet after which organic, natural or bio-degradable garden wastes should be put in as the fertiliser base. Then the pits should be filled with soil after which azosprillum, phosphobacteria and some other microbes are added and mixed with sand and organic wastes for about two ft. The base fertiliser should then be covered with soil to create a proper base for planting the saplings."
"However, we had dug up to 12 ft here, as the area had heaps of debris which was also found deep under the soil," he noted.
10 times faster growth
The member of CUBE also informed that this kind of preparation of soil will loosen them and promote better rooting and growth. And, also planting trees closer will enhance the growth 10 times faster compared to other tree planting methods mooted by the competition between plants.
Role of IFGTB
He stressed that selection of plants was more important and added that it was done with the help of scientists from Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB).
The team used Terminalia Chebula (Kadukkai), Erythrina Indica(Kalyana Murungai), Lagerstroemia Speciosa (Kadali), Bridelia retusa (Cemmaram), Butea monosperma (Kicukam) and Drypetes roxburghii (Puttiracivi or Karippalai) for their Miyawaki patches in Singanallur.
The spread of Miyawaki
Taking inspirations from the lake, places including Vellalore Lake, Pricol Factory, KPR Institute of engineering and Technology, G.V Residential area and Yellow Train School have also begun planting saplings using similar methods in Coimbatore, since 2015.
Talking about this, R. Manikandan, Founder of NGO Kovai Kulangal Paathugappu Amaippu said that they had used water hyacinth that was cleared from Valankulam lake and cow dung as primary fertilisers. According to him, they had planted over 2000 saplings belonging to various varieties of native trees along the bunds of Vellalore Lake since February, 2018.
On this World Environment Day 2019, if more organisations and educational institutions adopt the Miyawaki style, certainly the lost green cover and biodiversity could bounce back in the city of Coimbatore.
Nature Trail pathway in Singanallur Lake:
