Notes from the field

Planting a sapling while you tie a knot, sounds interesting doesn’t it? Well, this is what many newly-weds in Uttaranchal have been doing! Maiti Van is a campaign launched by WWF-India in the state of Uttaranchal under the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Programme. Started in February 2006, this innovative programme encourages marrying couples to plant saplings during their marriage ceremony.

Maiti van is a forest village that belongs to the bride’s parental home. Whenever there is a marriage in any of the TAL’s target villages, two saplings, one of fruit and the other of fodder species, are given by WWF-India, as a gift to the bride’s family. The bride and bridegroom plant the saplings on their wedding day.

This activity has helped encourage plantation on private land in target villages. At present the programme is implemented in only four villages such as Chukum, Choti Haldwani, Kunkhet and Mohan but is gaining popularity now and will be extended to other villages soon. As a part of the campaign around 50 saplings have been planted



A local villager says,"We believe that if the plant is healthy and growing well then the newlywed daughter is also happy at her husband’s home”. This belief motivates people to take proper care of the growing trees.

The local community has readily accepted this new tradition and suggested that WWF-India also provide them with saplings on other occasions such as the wedding of a son, namkaran samaroh (celebrations of giving name to a new born child), grahpravesh (celebrating entry into a new house) and many other auspicious occasions. Each sapling is a reminder of these important events.

Besides Maiti van, plantations have also been encouraged by conducting sensitization programmes on other occasions like World Environment Day, Wildlife Week, Jim Corbett’s birthday celebrations and the visit of Government Ministers to the villages. In addition, the Youth club “Evergreen Youth for a Living Planet” formed under the TAL Programme is empowered to generate awareness among the masses about climate change and motivate villagers to plant trees as their own initiatives. Altogether 1500 saplings have been planted through the WWF-India programme in the last few months.

Earlier planting tree species on the edges of fields was thought to have a negative impact on crop but now the approach is changing. The innovative idea of Maiti van is having a positive impact on local communities and should bear fruit for the future generations.

WWF-India has always emphasized on the importance of conserving and planting trees. Besides our initiatives in TAL, WWF-India launched the nation wide “Adopt a Plant” campaign where free saplings are being distributed to people who pledge to nurture them into trees.