Forest Dept Crew “Seed Balling” to bring Innovation into Environmentalism
Mangaluru: A unique method of promoting afforestation was undertaken by the staff of Karnataka Forest Department, at their premises at Padil, Mangaluru today, 24 May 2017. The Forest department in association with Rotary Club of Mangaluru Hillside organized this project, where they are planning on making nearly 10,000 seed balls by this month end. About two dozen forest dept. the crew participated in this project.
Dung and urine of native cows, various kinds of seeds and red soil is used in making of these seed balls, which give Nature the boost it needs to recreate the balance on Earth. From marble-size to little big sized ball, made of clay, red soil, compost/humus and seeds, which is used to replant areas where the natural flora has been destroyed, seed balls are also referred as seed bombs. These seed balls are used worldwide to reseed land that has been abused by Manor by Mother Nature herself.
The clay/red soil used to make seed balls prevents the seed from being baked dry in the sun, blown away by heavy winds or washed away by lashing rains or nibbled away by birds or other small wild animals. The department is planning to make around 10,000 seed balls of various fruits like Jack Fruit, Nerale (Jambulu), Mango, Ranja, Hebalasu, Kakke etc that would be utilized to introduce vegetation on barren land.
After drying the seed balls in a shady place, the balls are the stored in gunny bags which could be used in man-made deserts, once the rain sets in. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Shridar P-Range Forest Officer said, ” Seed balls are rolled with soil and manure. Seed balling is a very easy method of reforestation as the seeds are tossed in forested areas where the land is already fertile, therefore no extra measures need to be taken. Our goal is to make 10,000 seed balls by the end of this month. The locations are chosen depending on the seed and the type of soil it requires. Yet, with increased deforestation and rise in temperatures, one group of people isn’t enough to reverse these ill-effects.”
“We have used various kind of fruit-bearing seeds while rolling them into seed balls. The seed balls will be kept in shade for 5-6 hours to dry and stored in gunny bags for three months. They are not exposed to sunlight to prevent them from cracking. The seeds are usually tossed right before the monsoon season starts so that they can germinate. A few locations under consideration for tossing seed balls have been planned already. This is a good initiative and such initiatives should be publicized more by the media so that all can take part in whatever ways possible. We need to do our best and give it all, to save Mother Earth” added Sridhar.
Controlled breathing techniques will soon be of no use considering how polluted the air already is. With the severe increase in respiratory diseases, breathing itself has become difficult. Bringing innovation into environmentalism, a group of forest department crew has come up the unique idea of using ‘seed balls’ to increase the city’s depleting green cover and increase the presence of native trees. During the monsoon, once these seed balls get sufficient rain, the seeds inside will start germinating. The covering of soil and cow dung save the seeds from birds, worms and ants, thus yielding maximum results. These will also distributed to trekkers and nature lovers to be planted near highways, barren lands, forts, etc.
Many colleges and other organizations have already started making seed balls, and the idea has met with success. The Forest department wants to create awareness about the environment and thus decided to go ahead with the plan. They are also looking forward for support from the public in this Seed Ball project, for a better environment. RFO Sridhar was also joined by Prashanth- Assistant IFS Professional, Madhava Ullal and Krishnappa K – both environmentalists, members of Rotary Club, and Forest Department staff.