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What this campaign is about
To plant close to 10,000 fruit trees in Sundarban to replenish the green damaged during recent storms, strong wind-blows, uplift living condition of the people in Sundarban and mitigate malnutrition.
Backdrop
Sundarbans is not just any biosphere reserve or a tiger reserve but home of the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Its uniqueness lies among a myriad of other natural aspects, in its burst of Sundari trees - the most dominant mangrove tree species of the region - hence the name Sunderbans.
Nestled in the vast delta along the Bay of Bengal, this region also happens to be one of most cyclone prone area in the world. However large part of the inland including the city of Kolkata are often spared the worst of the terrible storms as these mangrove trees stands sentinel and guards from the ravage of the worst cyclones.
This unique coastal ecosystem shock absorbs the initial impact of the storm and is said to reduce wind speed significantly before it makes inroads towards human settlements along the forest fringes. Mangroves are natural ecological barriers, resilient to extreme weather events like cyclones, protecting coastal communities from frequent storm surges.
At a time when this region was already facing stiff climate change challenge, and its mangroves were rapidly disappearing over the last 40 years, came the onslaught of the Amphan, one of the deadliest cyclone of the region in several centuries.
The ravages of Amphan have left behind an indelible imprint on the lives of the people living in Sunderbans, already an ecologically fragile land. True, it is always at the butt of extreme climatic conditions, yet Amphan coupled with the corona pandemic has been a devastating blow unlike this region has ever seen before. Thousands of trees have been destroyed leaving much of the wildlife shelter-less severely affecting the ecological balance.
Today, when things have gradually started to recover from twin onslaughts of Corona pandemic and Amphan, the people of Sunderbans can only hope to build up enough resilience to combat further demolition of such catastrophic proportions. With a view to improve the living conditions, Kishalay Foundation has come up with proposals of planting 25,000 fruit bearing trees to restore and refurbish the green lost in the cyclone.
Implementer : Kishalay Foundation
Led by Biplab Das - a native of the Sundarbans, an IIM Bangalore alumni, Kishalay foundation has been working to promote education and health in rural Bengal since 2013. Currently they run 35 early education centres in Sundarban itself for the under privileged kids of Sundarban. Post Amphan and Corona pandemic, they had been at the forefront with relief effort and restoration of lives.Children's education and nourishment form an integral part of their agenda. But, needless to say, this is not enough. The focus needs to be on resilience building, which will take its own course to strengthen the natural abilities of the communities to anticipate and adapt to the extreme climatic conditions.
Planting of trees, as we all know, will stop erosion that was rendering the people homeless after the floods. The chattering birds and wildlife will find back their shelter. These trees will not only provide nutrition to the people but also uplift their economic conditions.
Where and how it will be implemented
The foundation has been doing plantation activities as smaller scale for many years. We have the experience to enable communities on protecting trees for environment and livelihood. These fruit saplings will be planted in communities around 35 centers, Kishalay operates in different islands, namely Kochukhali, Chotomollakhali, Satjelia, Dhamakhali, Gosaba, Basanti, Manmathanagar, Bali, Kamakhyapur, Battali and Canning.
How it will benefit
It will greatly help to replenish lost green damaged by strong winds . At the same time it will provide necessary nutrition to communities to mitigate hunger and malnutrition, which is rampant in this region.
To plant close to 10,000 fruit trees in Sundarban to replenish the green damaged during recent storms, strong wind-blows, uplift living condition of the people in Sundarban and mitigate malnutrition.
BackdropSundarbans is not just any biosphere reserve or a tiger reserve but home of the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Its uniqueness lies among a myriad of other natural aspects, in its burst of Sundari trees - the most dominant mangrove tree species of the region - hence the name Sunderbans.
Nestled in the vast delta along the Bay of Bengal, this region also happens to be one of most cyclone prone area in the world. However large part of the inland including the city of Kolkata are often spared the worst of the terrible storms as these mangrove trees stands sentinel and guards from the ravage of the worst cyclones.
This unique coastal ecosystem shock absorbs the initial impact of the storm and is said to reduce wind speed significantly before it makes inroads towards human settlements along the forest fringes. Mangroves are natural ecological barriers, resilient to extreme weather events like cyclones, protecting coastal communities from frequent storm surges.At a time when this region was already facing stiff climate change challenge, and its mangroves were rapidly disappearing over the last 40 years, came the onslaught of the Amphan, one of the deadliest cyclone of the region in several centuries.
The ravages of Amphan have left behind an indelible imprint on the lives of the people living in Sunderbans, already an ecologically fragile land. True, it is always at the butt of extreme climatic conditions, yet Amphan coupled with the corona pandemic has been a devastating blow unlike this region has ever seen before. Thousands of trees have been destroyed leaving much of the wildlife shelter-less severely affecting the ecological balance.
Today, when things have gradually started to recover from twin onslaughts of Corona pandemic and Amphan, the people of Sunderbans can only hope to build up enough resilience to combat further demolition of such catastrophic proportions. With a view to improve the living conditions, Kishalay Foundation has come up with proposals of planting 25,000 fruit bearing trees to restore and refurbish the green lost in the cyclone.
Implementer : Kishalay Foundation
Led by Biplab Das - a native of the Sundarbans, an IIM Bangalore alumni, Kishalay foundation has been working to promote education and health in rural Bengal since 2013. Currently they run 35 early education centres in Sundarban itself for the under privileged kids of Sundarban. Post Amphan and Corona pandemic, they had been at the forefront with relief effort and restoration of lives.Children's education and nourishment form an integral part of their agenda. But, needless to say, this is not enough. The focus needs to be on resilience building, which will take its own course to strengthen the natural abilities of the communities to anticipate and adapt to the extreme climatic conditions.Planting of trees, as we all know, will stop erosion that was rendering the people homeless after the floods. The chattering birds and wildlife will find back their shelter. These trees will not only provide nutrition to the people but also uplift their economic conditions.
Where and how it will be implemented
The foundation has been doing plantation activities as smaller scale for many years. We have the experience to enable communities on protecting trees for environment and livelihood. These fruit saplings will be planted in communities around 35 centers, Kishalay operates in different islands, namely Kochukhali, Chotomollakhali, Satjelia, Dhamakhali, Gosaba, Basanti, Manmathanagar, Bali, Kamakhyapur, Battali and Canning.
How it will benefit It will greatly help to replenish lost green damaged by strong winds . At the same time it will provide necessary nutrition to communities to mitigate hunger and malnutrition, which is rampant in this region.
