Work on planting 4,000 saplings at Pilikula Golf Club to be completed soon

Mangaluru: A major tree plantation drive was launched at the Pilikula Golf Club premises, aimed at planting 4,000 varieties of native species. The drive is part of the Amar (Prakrutiye Pragati), Plant a Tree, Adopt a Tree project. The drive at the golf club was launched by Dakshina Kannada DC Mullai Muhilan MP recently.

Environmentalist Jeeth Milan Roche, leading the drive, told TOI: "The effort is centred at the Pilikula Golf Club, which previously had a large number of acacia trees. As part of the green restoration effort, which has been included in the club's upgradation plan, around 4,000 pits have been dug, and around 2,200 native species saplings have already been planted, with watering currently in progress."

Further, the project will also include 150 -180 varieties of local mango trees. These saplings will be sourced from Dr P Manohara Upadhya, a veterinary surgeon who is leading the development of ‘Maavu Mantapa,' a gene bank dedicated to preserving indigenous mango species. These varieties are from Kasaragod, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, and Uttara Kannada, and many are considered threatened. "Only treated water is being used for the entire project," Roche said.

In addition to the plantation within the golf club, dense plantation work is being planned outside its boundary using the trench plantation method.

Roche said, "This is the first time we are planting ahead of the rains, which is beneficial as each plant needs about a month to stabilise. However, it is a costly and physically demanding process. The Pilikula terrain is tough, comprising laterite soil. Because of the soaring temperatures, my back skin has peeled off. We have been using a tractor-mounted digger to dig pits that are 1.5 to 2 feet wide and 4.5 to 5 feet deep."

Manoj Shetty, captain of Pilikula Golf Club, said, "At present, we are redesigning the golf course into an international one, and as part of this transformation, we'll remove 400 acacia trees and replace them with 4,000 native species inside the course and an additional 5,000 trees outside the boundary. We'll plant native species from the Western Ghats, which will attract a wide variety of birds and enrich the local biodiversity," he said.