Team Herald
PANJIM: In a bid to encourage public to take up afforestation, the State government is considering adopting techniques like seed bombing as a part of mass afforestation drive during the ongoing monsoon season.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest Vijai Sardesai, who held first review meeting with the officials of forest department on Friday is contemplating various means of seed bombing.
Speaking to media persons post meeting, Sardesai said that State government will concentrate on afforestation drive during the ongoing monsoon season. “Government policy is to encourage people to take up afforestation,” he stated.
Sardesai said that the forest department will strictly propagate local germ plasm during the afforestation drive. He said that in the past department had planted Australian Acacia in a large number in the forests, which don’t go well with the wild animals, who then travelled to the human habitations in search of food.
“We may think of completely removing Australian acacia from the forest and replacing it with local variety fruit bearing trees which are eaten by animals,” he said.
The department, he said, is also working on creating ‘urban jungles’ in the cities which would work as their ‘lungs.’
