Uttarakhand has a forest cover of 38,000 sq km, which forms over 70 percent of the state’s total geographical area. This houses unique, rich flora and fauna – 112 species of trees, 73 shrubs, and 94 species of herbs. However, for the past few decades, the forest cover across the state has been cut down to a great extent, and the top commercial activities to blame are mining, hydropower plants, road construction, distribution lines, water pipelines, and irrigation.
As per the data by the forest department, the state where more than 2/3rds of the land is covered with forests has lost over 50,000 hectares of them to various activities in the past 20 years. District-wise, Dehradun witnessed the highest amount of loss of 21,303 ha, followed by Haridwar (6,826 hectares), Chamoli (3,636 ha), Tehri (2,671 ha), and Pithoragarh (2,451 ha).
This has been worrying a good lot of citizens in the state and many have even come forward to do their part in reviving and preserving what’s lost. Of them is an environmental NGO, Flora Saviors, in Dehradun which is on to planting thousands of trees to preserve the beauty and green cover of the state capital.
The Flora Saviors team aims to increase awareness and restore the rich ecosystem of the city and eventually, the State. Be it the melting glaciers, global warming, erratic weather conditions, polluted natural resources, or continuous soil erosion, Flora Saviors plans to fight these man-made modern challenges with a conscious effort towards environmental restoration.
They took tiny steps and conducted the first tree plantation drive on 3rd June 2019 with the help of their network in residential colonies.
Also, read: Within Just 10 Minutes, 35000 Families Planted 2.1 Lakh Trees In Dehradun
Recently they have kick-started Reviving Doon valley project this August through which they aim to plant 10,000 trees In 100 days.
Sandeep Singh Chauhan, founder of Flora Saviors begun the initiative on August 1 at Drop-In Cafe, Old Mussorie Road by planting 50 saplings following Covid safety norms in collaboration with Tree ambulance Foundation. The saplings of Kaner, Silver oak, Gulmohar, Arjun, Jamun, Bamboo, Guava, etc were planted on the occasion.
Priyanka Meher (singer), Mayank Ronpaz (singer/rapper), Kamal Preet Singh (National hockey player), and Rekha Rajput (National Handball player) showed their support to the initiative and inaugurated it.
“Since the last 15 years I have seen a gradual change in the weather of Doon Valley. The city that used to be known for its light summers and heavy rains, today witnesses over 42 degree Celsius. The city that had fewer fans now has AC in almost every household. All these factors were disturbing me so I decided to revive the lost green cover and beauty of Doon valley. We are trying to mitigate climate change in the best possible way through our projects,”
said Chauhan.
With this, Flora Saviors are conducting plantation drives every week mostly on weekends. They are covering the entire Dehradun – be it parks, grounds, cafes, houses, roadsides, etc.
“The suggestions for locations come through social media posts, personal contacts, volunteers, and our collaborators and team. We are choosing areas for plantations on the basis of their post plantation care. We are planting trees in those areas only where people can take care of them. So we have one point of contact in the particular areas who will supervise the growth of the plants,” adds Sandeep.
But sadly, there is no aid from the government for the cause. Thankfully, there are a couple of local social media pages that are helping them out. There are also a lot of people and organizations coming forward and donating saplings.
The major chunk of funds are being raised through their fundraiser which is live on Milaap.org
Climate change is the result of humanity’s misdeeds. So, if you wish to reverse it and save the lovely city and the hills, click here.