GUWAHATI: In a bid to restore the depleting elephant habitats in Udalguri and Baksa districts of Assam, a seed collection drive was launched on Friday.
As part of the effort, Aaranyak, a research-driven conservation organisation, worked with the students and community members to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation by actively contributing to ecosystem restoration.
About 120 students from Rajiv Gandhi Memorial High School, Sapangaon, and Saint Paul School, Bhairabkunda, took part in the drive, along with community members from Madhupur and Subankhata in Baksa and Kundarbil in Udalguri.
Dr. Alolika Sinha, a conservation biologist at Aaranyak, explained the initiative, saying, “Based on field surveys and literature review, we gained insights on elephant fodder plants in the wild. Accordingly, we have been conducting seed collection drives seasonally, engaging local communities and students from the villages to raise them in our nursery, and subsequently plant the saplings at the habitat revival site in the appropriate season.”
Together, the groups collected seeds of native species such as Bel (Aegle marmelos), Odal (Sterculia villosa), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), and Thekera tenga (Garcinia pedunculata), to be raised in Aaranyak’s nursery and eventually planted at the habitat restoration site in Udalguri.
A guided nature walk around Rajiv Gandhi Memorial High School and a plantation drive with the students of Saint Paul School students were also organised to foster a better understanding of the natural environment.
Aaranyak, with support from SBI Foundation, is actively involved in restoring the degraded habitat of elephants in Udalguri to reduce conflict between indigenous communities and threatened Asian elephants.
It believes that such initiatives facilitate long-term collaboration with schools and communities to conserve biodiversity and empower residents to become stewards of their respective local ecosystems.
