Survival rate of trees only 10-20%: Prakash Javadekar

KOCHI: Lamenting that survival rate of trees planted under government's various forest generation programmes is only 10 to 20 per cent, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today asked forest officials to learn from students in Kerala who have ensured 70 per cent survival rate of trees planted under an ambitious programme.

Javadekar was speaking after inaugurating SEED (Student Empowerment for Environmental Development)-- an initiative by leading Malayalam daily 'Mathrubhumi' aiming to create awareness among student community on environment protection here.

Noting that students from upper primary, high school and higher secondary schools in Kerala are in the forefront of SEED project, Javadekar said, "you are growing trees" under the programme and "you are ensuring that whatever you plant every year, grows up till fifth and sixth year also."

"You are taking care of the plants for five, six years. So 70 per cent is the survival rate of trees (planted by you). That is important. Our forest officers should learn from this actually," Javadekar said, lamenting that survival rate of trees planted by forest officials under forest generation programme is only between 10 and 20 per cent.

Javadekar said his Ministry has decided to take the SEED movement to national level.

"There are voluntary efforts. That is what states should do. We should learn from best practices and best experiments of the organisations like SEED.

"....with the people's participation we can make the survival rate of forest beyond five years which is five or 20 per cent today to 50 or 70 per cent tomorrow. I am sure you are my partners," Javadekar told the students who are part of the SEED initiative of Mathrubhumi.

Kerala Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also spoke at the function presided over by Mathrubhumi Managing Editor P V Chandran.