By Shujauddin Qureshi
Just drive about 17 kilometres from Fateh Chowk Hyderabad towards Tando Muhammad Khan, and you can find a small green spot known as Mir’s Mini Forest along the road on the left side. A canal carrying fresh water drawn from Indus’s Kotri barrage is irrigating the land forest. An oasis between the agricultural lands of big landlords of Hyderabad, the Mir’s Mini Forest is a piece of green pastures, where an ecosystem is developed for growing trees and a natural habitat for birds.
Spread over about 5 acres of land the Mini Forest is also a display centre for urban forestry.
With a variety of trees (about 400 different trees), the mini forest is the brainchild of a progressive landlord Mir Shah Mohammad Talpur. Although this is not designed on the pattern of the Urban Forest method of Miyawaki on which our other friend Shahzad Qureshi has already established an Urban Forest in Clifton Karachi, Mr. Talpur has also planned to utilize the Miyawaki method in the future expansion of his current forest.
Concept of Mini Forest
Urban forestry, a revolutionary approach to greening our cities, is rapidly gaining traction worldwide. Pioneered by renowned Japanese botanist and professor Dr. Akira Miyawaki, this innovative method offers a faster, more natural way to cultivate thriving urban forests.
Since the 1980s, Dr. Miyawaki’s methodology has focused on replicating nature’s blueprint by planting a diverse mix of 15 to 30 native tree and shrub species nearby. This fosters a symbiotic relationship, allowing the plants to support and accelerate each other’s growth, creating a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem perfectly adapted to the local climate.
What sets the Miyawaki method apart is its remarkable speed. While a forest might typically take two centuries to regenerate naturally, this technique achieves comparable results in just two decades. This accelerated growth rate offers a powerful solution to combatting pollution, mitigating climate change, and enhancing urban biodiversity, making our cities greener and healthier for generations to come.
There are several mini forests in Karachi, initiated by various activists like Shahzad Qureshi and Masood Lohar. Both their mini forests are located in Clifton areas, but some other mini forests under the Miyawaki method have been established in other parts of Karachi.
Miyawak Forests are Growing in Pakistan
Mr. Talpur has learned the Miyawaki method from a trainer who came from India and he has also set up a small display on a piece of land of 3 by 3 meters by planting different types of trees by digging three feet and then replacing it with different grades of earth.
“It requires a lot of investment and manpower for using the Miyawaki method and for the time being I have only two employees to look after this mini forest so this mini forest is grown on the traditional method,” he said.
He has imported many varieties from different countries and grown several local fruit trees as well.
A picnic Point in Forest
Mr. Talpur allows families and groups from Karachi Hyderabad and other parts of the country on a prior booking system to visit and explore the mini forest, where local fruit trees, honeycombs, birds and flowers are grown in a natural environment and environment lovers can spend their day time to be with nature. He not only grows and protects the trees, but he often hosts various functions and parties in the forests.
A group of nature lovers from Karachi at the platform of The Linkers visited Mir’s Mini Forest on Sunday, November 22, 2020, and explored its natural beauty. Comprising of experts in Yoga and meditation, some of the experts held yoga and meditation sessions on the occasion. They enjoyed cooked food there and also the environment and ambience of the location.
Pl. click on the link below to look at some pictures taken by the writer.
Click Here for more photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LKK7cg8FH5QAsjcB7
