By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A few months back, a patch of land measuring approximately 10 cents on the premises of Government High School, Chalai, was dry, empty and covered with weeds. But, now this patch lush with multiple species of plants as a natural forest is being developed by following the Akira Miyawaki model of afforestation. In three years time, the area will sport the look of an urban micro forest. For the students at the School, the setting up of the phase 1 of Miyawaki forest coincided with the 92nd birthday of Akira Miyawaki, the Japanese botanist who introduced this model of afforestation. The members of the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC); Invis Multimedia; members of the Student Police Cadet and the PTA of the school greeted Akira Miyawaki on his birthday through a video call. This was followed by the launch of the urban micro forest project under the guidance of Kazue Fujiwara, professor at the Yokohama National University, and Elgene O Box, professor at the University of Georgia, Athens, USA. "We followed a natural forest model which consists of both native plant species and also arboretum garden," said Kazue Fujiwara, while inaugurating the programme. The project is being implemented by the Nature's Green Guardians Foundation and Culture Shoppe with the support of Invis Multimedia. "Many have been inspired by the Miyawaki style of afforestation and our aim is to spread it to other districts as well. K-DISC has taken up a mission to create the Miyawaki model across 10 districts. The green patch will be grown in about 20 cents of land in each district," said VK Damodaran, environmentalist and chairman of Nature’s Green Guardians Foundation (NGGF). Around 1,600 plant saplings which include nearly 1,200 native plants and nearly 400 arboretum were planted.

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