CALL TO ACTION | Chapter 5 Read the case study of Jadav Payeng and answer the questions that follow. Reforestation Hero
At 16, Jadav ‘Molai’ Payeng, the son of a buffalo trader from a marginalised tribal community in India, saw hundreds of dead snakes. The snakes were the victims of a major drought occurring on Molai Forest Reserve on Majuli Island in India. The Molai Reserve was once a place of wonder with an area of approximately 2,500 acres. But every year during the monsoon season, the river floods everything in sight, destroying homes and farms. Because of extensive soil erosion, there are concerns the reserve will be fully submerged within 20 years causing the 150,000 inhabitants to lose their homes and livelihoods.
Jadav realised that someone had to do something, so he started planting a tree sapling a day in the barren soil. He left behind his formal education to give all his attention to the forest. Now over 40 years later, his forest covers 1,390 acres—approximately the size of 15 football stadiums.
At first, planting trees was time consuming until the trees started providing the seed themselves. As his forest grew dense, so did the number of inhabitants. Soon, the forest was filled with hundreds of species of birds, with deers, rhinos and tigers, with even a herd of elephants straying into his forest for three months of the year.
Jadav’s life changed in 2007, when a photojournalist discovered him seeding his forest and wrote an article about him. He soon gained the attention of the Indian government and then the entire country − winning multiple awards for his incredible achievements and giving TED talks. He believes Majuli Island can be saved from erosion by planting coconut trees that grow straight and, when planted together in close proximity, protect the soil. This would not only help India’s economy but help fight climate change. His worst fear for his forest is deforestation for financial gain.
Source: Chezza Zoeller, One Earth 1. What inspired Jadav to begin planting trees?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How large is the forest he planted?
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3. What makes this achievement especially impressive? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What environmental problems are aff ecting the area? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Why was planting trees diffi cult in the beginning?
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Case Study
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