Kids help to revive Shola trees in Ooty

OOTY: As the National Green Corps (NGC) here, joining hands with forest department, has begun to focus on planting native shola tree saplings in the village limits by using school kids as “green ambassadors” to revive the shola trees growing culture for nature and bio-diversity conservation, the Panchayat Union Middle School (PUMS) and Araihatti village near here have chipped in to help. 

V. Sivadass, coordinator of NGC in Coonoor educational district, explained to students at length about the impact of global warming and climate change and asked them to prepare themselves to take to tree-growing culture to combat the effects of global warming.

 Nilgiris was once the land of native shola tree and over the years, they have vanished due to unplanned development and encroachments, he said. 
“The shola trees, which are unique to the Nilgiris, that forms the unique shola-grassland ecosystem acts as a natural sponge to retain the water and to release it slowly to the nearby streams round the year. 

If the shola forests were revived, it would add to rejuvenation of water sources and regaining the hill ecology that is important to regain and retain the unique bio-diversity that also helps in soil conservation.  It is up to the kids to show passion towards shola forest regeneration and to take this message to their homes and to the community” Mr. Sivadass added. P. Ramachandran, Forest Range Officer at Kundah, who inaugurated the project by distributing shola tree saplings to the students said,  tree growing culture is the only natural answer to tackle the issues related to global warming. K. Prema, headmistress of the school, was among those who spoke on the occasion.