Forests by Heartfulness

SANGEETH PARVATAM is the Program Manager at Forests By Heartfulness. BRENDA NETH interviews him about the development of the programs, and the conservation that is developing at the grassroots level as a result.

- BRENDA NETH

Q: What are some of the successes at Kanha Shanti Vanam that led to the creation of the Forests By Heartfulness (FBH) initiative? What are some of the lessons learned?

Kanha Shanti Vanam was transformed during the last 7 years as a result of several interventions backed by a combination of science and intuition guided by spiritual practice.

For example, one initiative is the ex-situ conservation of critically endangered species, like Syzygium travancoricum, with only 15 trees spotted in the wild. Most of the conservation of these rare and endangered species was done without erecting steel or concrete structures, by providing the right natural conditions using shadegiving plants, rain guns, and lots of loving care.

Another successful initiative was the translocation of hundreds of adult trees identified for felling during various road and housing developments in Hyderabad and other parts of the country." The survival rate has been astounding, given that tree translocation is fraught with many challenges.

But these initiatives are resource-intensive activities that can only be accomplished by committed teams, funding, and a lot of care.

I have personally learned the importance of involving the local community. Any project that is designed to benefit the community, can eventually become the community's, with FBH acting as a conduit or facilitator.

Q: Does FBH use the principles of permaculture, which was one of the key reasons for your involvement in the first place?

Yes, we have applied some of the core values of permaculture, like Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share, but our work also includes other aspects like species conservation, landscaping, creating meditative spaces, etc. I am a lover of permaculture principles for supporting ecosystems, food supply, and soil regeneration, but the main objective of FBH is conservation.