Miyawaki technique
Also called: Miyawaki forest, Miyawaki method · Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Miyawaki technique is a way to grow a small, thick forest quickly on a small plot of land. It is named after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Only native species are used, meaning plants that grow naturally in that area. Many of them are planted very close together on soil that has first been made richer. The young plants compete for sunlight, so they grow upwards fast and form a dense, layered forest. In cities, these small forests are planted to support biodiversity, recharge groundwater, cut dust and air pollution, cool the local area, reduce soil erosion and store carbon (carbon sequestration). Because the planting is so dense, the real test is how many trees survive, not how many are planted.
Example
Bharat Vann in Mysuru, Karnataka, covers 17.63 acres. More than 2 lakh native trees are planted there using the Miyawaki technique under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign (2026). Before planting, the soil was enriched with cow dung, compost and Jeevamrut, a natural farm-made fertiliser.
Don't confuse with
- Conventional plantation: these are often single rows of fast-growing exotic trees, which are trees brought in from elsewhere. A Miyawaki forest is a dense mix of native species that copies a natural forest.
- Sacred grove: this is an old, natural forest patch that a community protects for a deity. A Miyawaki forest is new and planted by people.