Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his latest ‘Mann ki Baat' episode spoke about the Miyawaki plantation.

About the Miyawaki plantation method

• It is the Japanese method of creating dense urban forests in a small area.

• It is named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki and it was developed in the 1970s, with the basic objective to densify green cover within a small parcel of land.

• It is an ecological engineering work where native plants/ trees are planted in a scientific method to create an arrangement of fast-growing, dense, varied species of plants, 20 times faster than normal.

Features 

• It involves planting two to four different types of indigenous trees within every square meter. 

• Some of the common indigenous plants that are used for these forests include Anjan, Amala, Bel, Arjun, and Gunj.

• In this method, the trees become self-sustaining and they grow to their full length within three years.

• The plants used in the Miyawaki method don’t require regular maintenance like manuring and watering.

Usefulness

• The dense green cover of indigenous trees plays a key role in absorbing the dust particles of the area where the garden has been set up. 

• They store earth-warming carbon dioxide, sustain wildlife, improve the health of ecosystems, and provide employment.

• They act as a home to birds and insects and increases groundwater levels.

• These forests encourage new biodiversity and regulate surface temperature.

Criticism

• Critics argue that the method is expensive, its benefits unclear, and Miyawaki’s techniques violate fundamental principles of ecological restoration.

• The method disregarded the structure and composition of plants, neglected native species, and the region’s natural ecology.

• It reduces biodiversity, drives species to extinction, and hampers ecosystem resilience.

Conclusion 

• Despite the high success rate, many ecologists have reservations about its sustainability in Indian climes.

• Miyawaki afforestation cannot be seen as a replacement for regular tree plantation and municipal authorities should continue to focus on regular greening activities

• Newcomers to the idea should be aware of its high initial cost when compared to conventional plantation and also prepare to cull large trees from forest plots to allow the other plants to thrive.