Eco-restoration of a Wasteland near Pondicherry

The lecture is intended to present an overview of eco-restoration work carried out by Project Ecolake of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, in a wasteland covering approximately 100 acres (c.40ha.) near Ousteri, about 10km. west of Pondicherry town. The Project, begun in 1979 for education and research in ecology and the environment, has provided opportunities for continuing fieldwork over three decades, and has sought to be wide-ranging in its scope. This has included the use of exotic pioneer species to green a severely eroded landscape consisting largely of lateritic sandstone, as well as soil conservation measures, along with appropriate water management methods, to reclaim the denuded terrain. The afforestation work has helped in the regeneration of many species of the TDEF, several of them rare or threatened, while other indigenous plant species have been introduced to enhance species diversity. With an increasing number of faunal species as well, the overall biodiversity is now of considerable interest. At the same time, a fairly extensive botanical collection, ranging from herbs and spices to timber species, and from medicinal plants to ornamentals, has been built up, of some value in education and research as well as in biodiversity conservation.

Specific areas of research (several of them in collaboration) include trials to determine suitability of tree species for rain-fed afforestation in semi-arid conditions ; soil studies to evaluate the impact of different vegetation types on the soil, starting with the barren sandstone ; work on vermiculture and vermicomposting ; studies in the phenology of TDEF species as also other introduced plants ; beekeeping with Apis cerana and Trigona iridipennis ; melissopalynology (in collaboration with the French Institute, Pondicherry) to study bee foraging and help prepare a floral calendar for the region ; the role of plant-pollinator relationships in pollination ecology ; issues pertaining to restoration ecology ; the potential of some Australian Acacias to provide nutritious seeds from wastelands ; the promise of terra preta in enhancing soil health and tackling climate change.

Speaker

Mr. Prakash Patel and Ms. Lipi Das, Project Ecolake, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry

Organisers

Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry.

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001

Time

4.30 pm