A man from Manipur transforms a desolate plot of land into a 300-acre forest

In 20 years, a 47-year-old man from Manipur's Imphal West district transformed barren ground into a 300-acre forest rich in plant species. Moirangthem Loiya, who is from the district's Uripok Khaidem Leikai area, began planting trees on the outskirts of Imphal in the Langol Hill range about 20 years ago. "In early 2000, after completing my college studies from Chennai, when I travelled to the Koubru mountain, I was startled by the vast scale deforestation of the once thick foliage that distinguished the Koubru hill ranges," Loiya told PTI.

"I had a deep impulse to give back to mother nature what we as a species have harmed so much in contemporary times," he said. His quest soon brought him to Maru Langol, renamed "Punshilok Maru" or "Spring of Life," in the Langol Hill range on the outskirts of Imphal town.

"I happened to come across the place while hiking and immediately felt the area, which was all barren due to jhum cultivation, could be converted into a thick green lush forest with time and dedication," the 47-year-old told PTI. "The site served as a home for me for six years, as I lived in isolation in a hut I built myself, planting bamboo, oak, jackfruit trees, and teaks while nurturing the area previously destroyed by human activities," Loiya, who now visits the forest "on and off," said.

"I would buy saplings out of my own budget and plant them whenever I could," Loiya explained, adding that "the plantation is done usually ahead of the monsoon season and vegetative growth was always swift." "Periodic unlawful wildlife shooting for deer, usually for sport," Loiya, who founded the Wild Life and Habitat Protection Society (WAHPS), explained. The Punshilok Forest Society is dedicated to conserving the Punshilok forest and combating illicit hunting and wildfires.

State forest officials have been supportive of Loiya's efforts to plant trees in the Longol hill range. According to forest experts, there are more than 100 plant species in the 300-acre forest, which also features barking deers, porcupines, and snakes. According to officials, the site was desolate about 20 years ago. According to forest experts, the majority of wildfires spread because individuals want a piece of land for cultivation or any other activity.

Meanwhile, Loiya is adamant that planting and cultivating a forest will be a "lifelong quest," despite the fact that he currently works in a pharmacy to earn a living and support his family. Loiya is presently planning a volunteer camp in November to preserve the forest from wildfires ahead of the dry season. During the camp, a fireline would be built along the forest's perimeter to prevent flames from entering the forest, he added.

(source : PTI)