Programs

A Mini Forest in Faridabad, India

Magical jewel: from garbage dump to a vibrant green mini forest.

Note: GMFER’s involvement with this project has ended, the project is now sustained and maintained by local stakeholders and local interests, a win-win for all.

Samarrth Khanna is a young conservationist and a university student who is keenly interested in re-wilding urban spaces and safeguarding ecosystems. Between the years of 2017-2020 and with the support of GMFER, Samarrth and his dedicated crew converted a wasteland into a habitat suitable for ‘city-wildlife’ in Faridabad.

The idea to turn a garbage dump into a thriving mini forest was formed when Samarrth walked by an informal landfill in Faridabad in 2017; he observed mounds of garbage and plastic waste strewn over several acres. The sight filled him with sadness, and he was determined to remedy the situation.

Samarrth gathered a small group of students together and organized weekly ‘cleanup drives’. With GMFER’s help, a total of 3500 kilograms of waste was cleared. After the waste was removed, the alliance of students together with Samarrth, adopted the land; one with highly polluted soil, negligible vegetation and no signs of life.

After the installation of an irrigation system and thousands of hours of dedication and hard work over a two-year period, a once polluted and barren wasteland evolved into a vibrant green landscape sustaining life. Today, the Mini-Forest is replete with multiple bionetworks, representing diverse habitats and ecosystems; grasslands, a native deciduous forest and a wetland are some of these. Samarrth believes that the forest will also help control pollution and mitigate climate change by furnishing a carbon sink for Faridabad’s atmosphere.

The Mini-Forest is on its way to becoming a vibrant green jewel in the center of one of the world’s most polluted cities; it is now a self-sufficient and self-sustaining entity supported by local interests and stakeholders.

GFMER will continue to support Samarrth and the Mini-Forest as needed. We remain committed to the ecosystems and the people of Faridabad, expanding our scope of activities to support organizations and individuals working specifically to mitigate the suffering of the non-human animal.

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