SAIIER 2020:"Native Trees of Auroville" book
“Native Trees of Auroville” book
by Author::Marie Demont
The purpose of this project is to give access to a large audience, of basic knowledge and easy key identification of 160 species of indigenous trees and shrubs of Auroville and around (mainly Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest – TDEF species).
Description of project:
The first steps were to collect the data: information and photographs, to update them, crossing them with other references, put them together in a understandable layout, keep the message clear and easy to understand for amateurs. These steps took 4-5 months, with great help of people who work in the field and associated with Auroville Botanical Gardens: Paul, Neil, Santo, Jaap, Glenn and Rituparna. The soft copy of the book has been created and includes 160 species of trees and shrubs.
The step for next year will be to print 30 copies for use as reference guides in public libraries and schools.
A third step could be to print the book in a larger scale: 200 copies which can be sold in Auroville Library and around, at an affordable price as the main goal is to propagate the knowledge.
Outcomes:
As for now, the document is a pdf file that is waiting to be printed.
The future beneficiaries will be the kids and adults attending seminars and workshops in Auroville Botanical Gardens, anyone visiting the Gardens (as copies will be available for in-situ research), Auroville schools and public spaces such as Town Hall, Visitor Centre, and Auroville Library. If the book is printed at a larger scale, it can be of great help for further education and afforestation work in Auroville and around.
Reflections:
Compiling the information in a comprehensive manner and in a coherent layout was much more time-consuming than I initially expected.
Data about these 160 TDEF species are very rare and scarce on the internet, which reinforces the purpose of that book: getting to know better our native trees, and being able to recognize them.
Even amongst greenbelters and green workers who have worked extensively in the forest of Auroville, this collection of information would be very useful.
