Many developments have left nature bruised and a school in Wayanad is doing its bit to restore it by setting up a bambusetum on its premises. The four-acre bambusetum (bamboo garden) at the Navodaya Adivasi Aided Upper Primary School at Manikavu houses 50 rare species of bamboos, eight of them endemic. Six come under the endangered category. For the endeavour, the school bagged the prestigious Vanamitra Award instituted by the Forest Department for 2019-20.
Begins in 2002
The project was initiated by the then headmaster P.V. Poulose in early 2002 by planting 26 species. Initially it was planned to conserve only the bamboo species of the Western Ghats. Later, many bamboo species were collected from across the country. The Meenangadi grama panchayat, which is venturing to be the first carbon-neutral grama panchayat in the country, has provided all support to the project through programmes such as Green Campus and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The panchayat has spent ₹15 lakh on the conservatory, says P. Pavithran, biodiversity management committee convener, Meenangadi grama panchaya.
According to scientists at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here bamboos in the school garden can broadly be classified into three groups: those used for eco restoration, for making handicrafts, and bamboo with ornamental values. Species such as Ochlandra travancorica (common reed) and Bambusa bambusa (common bamboo) come under the first category. Bambusa gigantea (Aanamula) and Pencil oda belong to the second category, while species such as white dragon bamboo and golden bamboo are included in the last segment, they say.
Biodiversity register
“The MSSRF and Uravu, a non-governmental organisation, supplied us with bamboos and helped us prepare a School Biodiversity Register,” says C.K. Anil Kumar, headmaster, says.
The school takes every effort to conserve the bamboos and intends to add to the collection. The school also possesses a medicinal plant garden with 30 species of plants, an arboretum with 84 tree species, and a collection of 26 wild edible fruit conservatory.
