Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Conservationists are fighting to save Assam’s battered forests. The group Aaranyak dropped 15,000 native seed balls into the Khalingduar Reserve Forest to help struggling elephant populations. They started this pilot project on World Environment Day 2026. The work centers on a two-hectare plot at Samrang within the Dhansiri Forest Division of Udalguri district.
Teams are scrubbing away invasive plants and tossing clay-encased seeds across the terrain. This low-cost method skips the need for traditional nurseries or heavy labor. The balls contain seeds from native trees like Jamun, Velkor, Odal, Bel, Gamari, Khair, Simalu, and Kum. These species offer food for elephants and build a solid canopy.
Aaranyak said the seed-ball approach is not intended to replace conventional plantation but to complement natural regeneration and increase the diversity of native species emerging across restoration sites. The International Elephant Foundation supports the effort. Researchers and students teamed up with the Jailkhlong community nursery to get it done.
The project crew includes Rabiya Daimari, Abhijit Saikia, Abhilasha Baruah, Bistirna Burhagohain, Dibakar Nayak, Bikash Tossa, Manav Nayak, and Pradip Barman. They want to prove that nature-based tactics work. They are turning dead ground back into working forest. This helps wildlife survive.
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