Giant Trees for Climate Change Mitigation in India

Dear Supporter,

I would like to share a very good news about this initiative. The giant tree campaign is spreading like a fire across state of Maharashtra. Our field researchers working in the eastern Maharashtra region were very much concerned when they came across villages where Giant trees were systematically felled. They asked us if we can expand the campaign in this region which is known for presence of Tiger reserves and protected areas. Thus the overall awareness about biodiversity conservation should be high. However it is otherway round, Communities living in buffer zones of the Tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries do not have much of an option but to chop down few trees either for making quick money or meeting household energy requirement. 

After going through videos and images of felling of big trees, we asked our team to conduct survey of giant trees in this region. In the last quarter or so, they mapped some 50 Giant trees. Conversations with the owners about the presence of these trees and their future revealed some interesting and yet disturbing facts. These trees are felled routinely for making money and out of false perception that they will cause damage to the property of the owner. Wood traders buy these trees at INR 10,000/ tree and chop it down without any issue.

Our team in short time has managed to convince the tree owners for protecting the trees for next five years. The team distributed certificate of appreciation and incentives to the 10 tree owners at the time of reporting.

The trees we are protecting through your support in this new region are very beautiful, magnificant and worthy of attention.

That is all what i can say at this point. Photos of the trees, certificate distribution and map of the location of the trees is enclosed for your reference.

Thanks once again for your continuous support to this unique initiative.

Best

Jayant