Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The fate of Indore’s forests was being silently sealed by a catastrophe hidden in plain sight. That is until Pradeep Mishra, an Indian Forest Service officer posted with the Indore Forest Division initiated a profound intervention to resurrect the Rare, Endangered, and Threatened (RET) plant species, an action that is now fundamentally changing the ecological map of the landscape.
Mishra’s review of the ‘Working Plan’ data for the division revealed a concerning pattern. Ecologically foundational native tree species such as Dahiman, Bija, Haldu, and Harra had declined so drastically that their population density had dropped below the 1% threshold — the standard forestry benchmark for classifying a species as RET in a given ecosystem. Field inspections confirmed that the natural regeneration of these species was poor or non-existent.
“The loss represented a scientific invisibility and an invisible ecological deficit that threatened the vitality of the entire region,” said Mishra. He stated that RET species are essential for soil formation, groundwater recharge, and overall biodiversity resilience.
“If we lose them, we lose more than trees—we lose resilience, identity, and ecological equilibrium,” he added.
Progress and facts: Charting the ecological rescue
Starting December 2023, he devised a conservation strategy by adopting a layered, process-based approach across three distinct zones — urban, rural, and forest — ensuring a continuous, self-sustaining ecological continuum.
Parameter – Before/Initial Capacity – Target/Current Status
RET Sapling Production – 2,000 saplings – 50,000 RET saplings targeted for 2026
Community Engagement – General Joint Forest Management – Awareness programmes across 117 JFMCs
Nursery Training – No focused training – 40 active committees trained in micro-nurseries
Youth Participation – Unorganised – Compendium of 100 rare native species prepared by students
Recognition – Localised initiative – Recognition from the World Book of Records, London
A comprehensive approach to ecological change
The initial step was to start reforming the supply chain. The Residency Nursery was designated a dedicated RET nursery, increasing production capacity to ensure complete supply-side readiness. The model’s progress was bolstered by community support. The department trained 40 active joint forest management committees in seed treatment, encouraging them to establish micro-nurseries and sell excess seedlings for income generation.
The initiative successfully integrated conservation into the urban environment. RET plantations were carried out in schools, colleges, and government office campuses under the Urban Forestry Scheme. The division also leveraged technology, conducting a workshop on LIDAR-based techniques to identify RET-rich zones and initiated a pilot digital registry to maintain long-term records.
Mishra stated that forests are living ecosystems whose strength lies in diversity, not dominance. He concluded that the RET species represent the genetic memory of our forests. The Indore RET Model is now being replicated by several districts of Madhya Pradesh.
