Thirty native saplings planted at Ponmudi during Wildlife Week
The environmental collective ITREK planted 30 native saplings near an existing shola forest at Ponmudi during National Wildlife Week. The initiative was supported by the Forest department and Ponmudi Ecotourism, with species selected after consultation with JNTBGRI experts. Members also removed plastic waste from the surrounding area.
Thirty native tree saplings were planted at Ponmudi as part of National Wildlife Week celebrations, in an initiative led by ITREK, a collective promoting responsible trekking and environmental conservation. The saplings were planted near an existing shola forest close to the cafeteria at Ponmudi. The programme was undertaken with support from the Forest department and Ponmudi Ecotourism.
Species were selected on the basis of their ecological suitability to the Ponmudi ecosystem. Experts from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute at Palode and the Forest department were consulted before the planting. The saplings represented four tree species native to the Western Ghats and naturally associated with the region.
They were Vateria indica, commonly known as the Indian Copal Tree or White Dammar; Cullenia exarillata, or Wild Durian; Syzygium mundagam; and Syzygium stocksii. Cullenia exarillata is a major canopy tree in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. It also provides food and habitat support for the lion-tailed macaque, an endangered primate endemic to the Western Ghats.
The programme included a plastic clean-up drive. ITREK members removed plastic waste from the surrounding natural environment as part of the effort to combine habitat restoration with protection from litter. Nearly 25 ITREK members participated in the programme.
They were led by the organisation’s founder, Suresh Sam Chandy. ITREK describes its work as covering responsible trekking, environmental conservation and the welfare of forest-dependent communities. The Ponmudi activity was carried out as part of the Wildlife Week observance and involved both planting and clean-up work.
The source material does not provide details about the longer-term maintenance arrangements for the saplings or the quantity of plastic collected. It records that the species selection involved consultation with botanical and Forest department experts and that the planting took place near the existing shola forest.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.