Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India

Sow local, Eat local A native seed festival, held every year in Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, seeks to revive traditional varieties and promote organic farming practices Source and Credit:  The Hindu Chennai News in Frames – 16/07/2023, pg. I and II.  

  by  M.T. Saju An experiment in Tamil Nadu notes the success of nursery bags made of palmyra over those made of plastic, for the nurturing and transplantation of mangrove seedlings during ecological restoration activities. Mangrove seedlings showed good growth like they did in plastic bags and higher durability against water inundation. They were also able to spread roots better in palmyra bags. Traditional crafts involving palmyra leaves constitute an important source of livelihood for locals in the district of Thanjavur. Sitting near her thatched hut, Achikkannu reaches for a set of dried palmyra ( Borassus flabellifer ) leaves kept on a fence, made of broken fishing nets. She cuts the leaves into equal parts. Despite her struggles with frequent bouts of flu, she can weave a nursery bag in 40 minutes with dried palmyra leaves. Like many women in Kollukkadu, a coastal village in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, this 70-year-old depends on these leaves for a livelihood. Achikkann

  CPREEC EIACP PC- RP, Chennai celebrated “Hariyali Saptah/Van Mahotsav” from 1st to 7th July, 2023 by organizing a plantation programme on July 06, 2023 at Avvai Home T.V. Ramamurthy Primary School, Adyar, Chennai – 600 020. The Programme Officer gave a brief talk on the importance of plants and conservation of plants. The students actively participated in the plantation drive in the school campus. They took a pledge to take care of the sapling planted in the campus and to protect them. A total of 75 students and 5 teachers participated and took the pledge of under Mission LiFE Programme.

  Centre plans ‘market’ scheme to promote sustainable living   It aims at incentivising a host of activities such as afforestation, water conservation and waste management by generating ‘green credits’ Source:  The Hindu, Chennai, 29/06/2023, pg.12.

  Restoring the glory Getting a facelift: renovation work of Kalyana Pushkarini, also known as ‘Pedda Koneru’ in Mangalagiri of Andhra Pradesh has been taken up together by the Endowments Department and the temple authorities at a cost of around 1.5 crore. The pond was built in 15th century by Timma Rajaya, successor of Krishnadevaraya.     Source:  The Hindu Coimbatore, 17/06/2023, pg.9.

  Pokkali, the rice of the future   Workers return after sowing the seeds of Pokkali paddy at Kadamakudy on the outskirts of Ernakulam. A saline-tolerant variety of rice, Pokkali is most prominently cultivated in the Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha districts of Kerala at the onset of monsoon. One season of rice farming is alternated with another season of shrimp cultivation. Last year, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad said this rice variety, which displays strength in the face of adverse weather conditions, needs to be preserved for the future.     Source:  The Hindu Chennai, 16/06/2023, pg.9.

  Tunkyong Dho in Dzongu notified as Sikkim’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site Source:  Sikkim Express Gangtok, 10/06/2023, pg.1.