ecology@work

14 Trees foundation: Towards reforestation at scale!- Ajay Phatak Testimonials of FES Members Volunteering for 14 Trees: Ajay Laddha (2020-21) Manjushri Parasnis (2006-07) Amit Walambe (2018-19) Kalpana Gupte (2011-12) Sanjeev Jagtap (2019-20) Sanjeev Naik (2019-20) Shivangi Datar (2013-14) Shalvi Pawar (2020-21) Shruti Soman (2019-20) Smitha Naik (2019-20) Gouri Bargi (2020-21) नीलम कर्ले (२०२०-२१ ) Prakash Gole Memorial Discourse Series - Sundar Sundarban - Santosh Lalwani

14 Trees is founded by Dr. Pravin Bhagwat, a technocrat and also part of the Ecological Society student community.  After an enormously successful stint as a technocrat and an entrepreneur, Pravin has dedicated himself to the cause of restoring nature through the mission of reforestation. Ecological Society is intimately associated with 14 Trees Foundation in the vision of restoration and reforestation at scale.  ES has been supporting 14 Trees from a domain perspective and hopes to provide more and more volunteers to this project over time through its alumni base. 14 Trees envisions that this program will be supported by communities, CSR and like-minded individuals.  Background and vision:  India has 28% of barren lands. These were once pristine forests.  14 Trees Foundation has a vision to restore these lands to their past forested glory.   In this process the foundation will look at creating local green job opportunities, which could eventually be sustained through rational use of t

 A few months ago, through FES, we had a unique opportunity to visit 14 Trees site at Vetale about 65 kilometers from Pune. After we turned left from Rajgurunagar to Vetale we were greeted by an army of trees, attired in bamboo tree guards standing 10 feet apart. And further when we took a left turn from the Vetale village and had traveled a few hundred meters, we were suddenly transported to a thriving jungle , with beautiful native trees, myriad bird calls and some amazing butterflies . We were greeted by Pravin Bhagwat, the founder of 14 Trees, who is also a part of the current ES batch. Pravin has been a successful tech entrepreneur and has successfully scaled up 2 companies in the wireless space. His vision is to help India get back its forest cover and help create a forest cover of over 6000 acres around the Bhimashankar area.  While Pravin had bought the land in 2014, the first 4 years were spent in recharging the underground aquifers through building bunds and check dams. It to

 For an ecologist like me, an area under eco-restoration is like an office for any urbanite. With this kind of a tinge of passion to my work, the place becomes second home. That is what has happened in case of 14 Trees. The first time I went there, along with my FES friends, I fell in love with the area.  Every time I go there, it is heartening to see something new sprout out from here and there. The on-site team is very efficient and focused. My sincere best wishes to this NGO. manjushrisavadi@gmail.com

 Around the early months of 2022, Friends of Ecological Society members were actively looking for restarting  activities post-COVID. ‘14 Trees Foundation’ came up and a visit was planned. The project was very impressive that we instantly decided to make it a primary project for FES members to contribute hands-on. The premise of doing  reforestation on completely degraded land, was in itself very interesting. Typically, organisations chose slightly favourable terrain to do any kind of plantation. But 14 Trees is trying to solve all 3 main challenges for plantation efforts: water, protection, community participation, on a very challenging, barren landscape. What attracted me the most to this project is its scale and the professional management. The founder, Pravin Bhagwat, being a techie has given a solid technical base to the operations, which is rare to find in ecology related activities. Other than fantastic opportunities to apply ecology related learnings, one other perk of volunteer

The first time that I heard about 14 Trees was from Madhavi Phatak. I then received a forwarded article on WhatsApp and called Madhavi to check if it was the same project. I was intrigued and then joined the ES group when they visited in June 2022.  What I witnessed was unbelievable. Seeing is believing and I felt a surge of energy and felt enthused. On returning I browsed the website and came upon a page indicating how I can help. The minimum level of participation I had felt was to gift a tree and I filled a form on the website and paid the amount mentioned for a tree to be planted remotely. I was very happy when the tree was planted and I received an e-greeting which I sent to the concerned person. ES alumni having expertise and enthusiasm are best suited to contribute in the various areas that demand attention. I had the opportunity to be involved and contribute in a few of these exciting areas.  gupte.sankalp@gmail.com

Think Global & Act Local! What struck me most in my early days with 14 Trees is the adoption of mantra - "Think Global and Act Local"!  There are numerous examples of this philosophy but two stand out: For two years, 14 Trees offered opportunity to work to whosoever was in need.  This was right in the middle of the COVID pandemic when most businesses were cutting down on the labour force and closing doors on the contract labour many of whom hail from the rural area around Pune. The word spread around and created goodwill amongst the community. Secondly, unique approach of not to 'push' the tree plantation on the villagers but wait till there is a 'pull factor'.   In other words, not to give plants unless the sarpanch/ school/ government official demands it and that to with some documentation.  Unless there is commitment and participation from the local people or intended beneficiaries, the plantation activity is never undertaken. This ensures a successful

When I first heard of 14 Trees, I was somewhat cynical that this is another plantation driven NGO. And now in the last 6 months I have visited the site 14 times. And the reason for this transformation was the amazing experiences I have had right from my first visit on 26th June 2022 as part of the FES initiative with 14 Trees. The first trip is still fresh in memories as it involved very charged up FES members, most of whom were visiting the site for the first time.  We were wonderstruck at the scale of the project which is being carried out on completely degraded land. More amazing has been the manner in which this has been conceived and implemented. Ground realities of the strata, local challenges of community and with the focus that this has to be a repeatable model for anywhere else in the country has led to an evolving approach where different sets of stakeholders are considered and engaged in a constructive and innovative manner.  With each visit, we are not just getting opportun

Being part of the FES, I was aware of 14 Trees. However, I hadn't thought that I would be part of the team. A chance mention to Madhavi about my plan to quit my job earlier this year and similar mention to her by Pravin to have somebody work on back office activities for 14 Trees was what got me in touch with Pravin Bhagwat and 14 Trees. Pravin insisted on me visiting the site before starting any activities. My first visit to the site was in August 2022 along with some other FES members who were already volunteering with 14 Trees. This first visit was awe-inspiring and it helped me understand the vision that Pravin and his team have in mind. It helped me understand the overall activities at the site and what help is required on the back office front. Since August, I have been working with Pravin and the rest of the volunteers. The discussions that take place are always aimed at furthering the vision that Pravin has for the ecological development of 14 Trees sites. There is a lot to

 I first visited 14 Trees in October 2022 and I was taken aback after seeing the immense work done by Mr Pravin Bhagwat and his team. I was awestruck after seeing the transformational pictures of the land before and after restoration by them. 14 Trees restoration project is not just helping the natural environment heal, but also providing livelihoods to the villagers of Vetale and thus, it's a living example of nature-based livelihoods!  The beautiful project site has various opportunities for ecological restoration & conservation, organic farming, architectural innovations and even artistic innovations on site that will contribute to the vision of 14 Trees. What better than this to connect with nature and also protect it! shalvipawar5@gmail.com

 When I came to know about a volunteering opportunity in the FES group, I was very curious to know more about this project. When I visited it with few other ES alumni, we had the privilege to have a guided tour by Pravin Bhagwat, founder of 14 Trees and it turned out to be just awesome! When I visited 14 Trees back in July, it was red alert for heavy rains in Pune... However, it turned out to be the best time to make myself acquainted with this initiative.  It's just not tree plantation, but 14 Trees is creating livelihood for people around the village of Vetale, making kids learn about importance of nature conservation, and I feel it is creating the natural eco corridor for wildlife from the nearby Bhimashankar sanctuary to thrive and sustain in the many years to come.  Pravin is involving so many like-minded NGOs, organisations and individuals in making this a successful and sustainable initiative, which is commendable. I also got to meet people from ATREE, Grasslands Trust, Ferg

What is it that draws us to 14 Trees?  Is it the beauty of Nature, the miracle of greening, the experience of learning something new every time we visit or admiration for the sheer perseverance of the founder who has achieved the impossible against all odds, standing firmly by his principles.  Livelihoods for locals, biodiversity, increased levels of groundwater in the entire region - the list goes on! A complete mix of all elements necessary for success of a project of this scale! The hospitality, the sincerity of purpose, the methodology of work, the butterflies, birds and bees - all create a magical experience! What is really unbelievable is the success of a reforestation project with over 80,000 trees without taking a single drop of water from the nearby dam! The biggest takeaway is the hope that here is a replicable model that can be scaled up; the light at the end of the dark tunnel of climate change!

Yet another plantation site? That was my first reaction when I heard about 14 Trees Foundation. But when our batchmate Hemant Joshi told us the details about this project, I got to know that this is something much more than just a plantation site. I got a chance to visit 'Vetale' village and meet Pravin in last October, and then I realized that this is much bigger than what I had imagined. Praveen has a big dream and knows how to bring it to reality.  It is hard to believe that all this was a piece of barren land a few years back. Considering the harsh conditions, the survival rate of saplings planted is really spectacular. The lockdown period has been utilized very productively here, providing employment to the locals and improving water availability for the site. Interacting with the volunteers here is a treat – there are experts from diverse fields who are contributing here as volunteers. What I find most remarkable about 14 tress is the scale and pace of growth.  The model

 इकॉलॉजिकल सोसायटीच्या कोर्समध्ये पर्यावरणपूरक जीवनशैली आणि निसर्गसंवर्धनाची तत्त्वे शिकायला मिळाली. गेल्या वर्षी प्रवीण भागवत यांनी पुढाकार घेतलेल्या १४ ट्रीज या उपक्रमाबाबत कळले. चासजवळील वेताळे टेकडीवरील भागात सोसायटीमधील तज्ज्ञांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली रिस्टोरेशनचे काम सुरू होते.  आपण जे काही या कोर्समध्ये शिकलो ते प्रत्यक्ष अनुभवायला मिळेल या कल्पनेने मीसुद्धा या उपक्रमात सहभागी झाले.  भीमाशंकरच्या सदाहरित अभयारण्या्च्या अगदी जवळ असूनही हा भाग पर्जन्यछायेत मोडतो. त्यामुळे पाण्याची कमतरता आणि उन्हाळ्यात लागणारे वणवे अशा या भागातील मुख्य अडचणी होत्या. पाण्याच्या व्यवस्थेवर काम करण्यासाठी व वारंवार लागणारे वणवे रोखण्यासाठी, निधी आणि मनुष्यबळ उभारण्याची गरज होती. प्रवीण भागवत यांनी या भागाची नैसर्गिक पुनरउभारणी करण्यासाठी निधी व योग्य मनुष्यबळ हे दोन्ही खांब उभे केले आणि आजही ते त्याचा विस्तार करण्याच्या  प्रयत्नात आहेत. वेताळेच्या ग्रामस्थांची रिस्टोरेशनच्या कामात मदत झाली, व त्यामुळे अनेकांना रोजगारही मिळाला. आज रोजी प्रकाश गोळे सरांच्या तत्त्वांमुळे बरेचजण या उपक्रमामध्ये जोडले जात आह

 On 17th December 2022, the 9th Prakash Gole Memorial Lecture was delivered by Prof Silanjan Bhattacharyya from the West Bengal State University, Kolkata. The topic was ‘Sundar Sundarbans’. Prof Bhattacharyya, an authority on the unique ecosystem of Sundarbans and student of Prof Madhav Gadgil, gave the attendees an enchanting perspective about the formation of Sundarbans, the unique ecosystem of this area, the ecological services it has been providing, the humans who have made this place their home, and how their forefathers were forced to live off this land during the British Raj.  Sundarbans, on the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Padma in the bay of Bengal are the largest single patch of estuarian mangroves. And today there are over 4.5 million human inhabitants who live on this naturally unstable landmass which goes under high tide water regularly and also faces frequent cyclones. These people are mostly dependent on farming, fishing and forest honey gathering for