Progress report
- update December 2001
The Garden's main focus will
be the conservation of indigenous species. As the native Tropical Dry
Evergreen Forest of the Coromandel Coast has almost totally disappeared
and as there is no other Botanical Garden existing along the entire east
coast between Kolkota and Kanyakumari, the value of this project is only
too obvious.
With this urgent need to document
and preserve the local flora, the work at the Garden has started off with
whatever support and means possible. So far most of the funds have come
from within the community and voluntary help from individuals. Over the
last months a detailed 5 year project proposal was written which will
be sent out for overseas funding. Till then the work will continue slowly
as the finances allow.
Work progress from January to October 2001
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In the beginning of 2001
a generous donation helped purchase a very needed windmill which enabled
the new caretaker family to move to the site, giving the place the
important 24 hour presence. With plenty of water, also the freshly
planted, young TDEF species survived the long hot summer months. The
monsoon last year had been a total failure so without the additional
watering only a few plants would have made it.
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The caretakers of the Garden
are also part of the seed-savers network 'Annadanna' which is now
being established on the site. In association with Kokopelli, this
organisation is involved in preserving traditional vegetable and flower
seeds from all over the world. This is their first base in India and
research has already started to see which varieties are best suited
to this region.
-
In May the B.G. team made
their first official visit to the Tropical Botanical Garden Research
Institute in Kerala. This research institute covers a sprawling area
with a wild indigenous forest and natural river. As our time was limited
only the most important features were looked into and discussed with
the Gardens Staff. A lot of ideas and inspiration were generated for
the future detailed planning of the Auroville B.G.
-
July saw the first dry pond
dug with the help of a JCB. It took 3 days to dig and shape the hole
and mound, creating some relief in the flat landscape. This is one
of the many to come, adding character to the land and catching precious
rainwater.
-
September and October were
spent preparing for the arboretum planting. Large pits of 1 X 1 mtr
were dug and filled with an ideal compost and soil mix to welcome
the patiently waiting seedlings who have been waiting for months in
their tightly crammed plastic bags. A lot of manual help was received
from volunteers and visiting students who sweated in the heat making
it a joint, fun work-out session.
-
November will be time for
planting and hopefully again individuals, students and groups will
participate in this nice collaborative work of planting trees together.
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A small fundraising scheme
'Sponsor a Tree'
was started to help finance the arboretum planting.
Overview and numbers
As indicated on our intro page,
the development of the fifty acre site was begun in the autumn of 2000,
with the planting of an indigenous forest area on 10 acres. This will
eventually double in size when the next area for the Gardens are purchased.
The first planting consisted only of climax species for the Tropical Dry
Evergreen forest type of which there are approximately 35 woody species,
all of which are evergreen and have similar ecological traits such as
berry bearing and small, white, perfumed flowers. When the area is developed
further, other secondary and colaniser species will be included, which
will raise the number of represented woody species to approximately 135.
In the autumn of 2001 the arboretum
was begun with the planting of 167 species of tree and 35 species of shrub.
The arboretum surrounds the future area of the formal gardens with an
inner ring of ornamental flowering trees. The first phase included most
of the indigenous and native India trees that are common in and around
Auroville. The trees are at wide spacing, 10 -15 meters, and will be grown
as specimen trees.
Dioecious species have two representatives,
one of each sex. The plantings have been arranged as per genus as far
as is possible, and most families have been planted. However, certain
larger, more diverse and interesting families such as Euphorbiaceae and
Ficus will be planted out in specialised areas of the Gardens in the future,
and so their representation in the arboretum planting this year has been
minimal.
So far an area of 10 acres has
been covered and this will be expanded in subsequent years as and when
species become available.
Botanical Gardens
Auroville
605 101, TN
India
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