This man from Mangaluru is transforming cemeteries and dumpyards into lush green forests

Jeeth Milan Roche, a resident of Mangaluru, worked as a sales coordinator with various corporate enterprises from 2006 to 2014. Despite his commitment, he found himself consistently dissatisfied with the corporate lifestyle and finally decided to quit his job in 2014.

"In 2009, I started a small bar catering business. I was doing well enough to support my family. I wasn't satisfied with my corporate job, and since the business was doing fine, I decided to leave my job and plant trees full-time instead,” he tells SocialStory.

Recalling his passion for planting trees, Roche says, in 2004, he incurred a financial loss of over Rs 45 lakh. He was shaken and was in a state of extreme turmoil. During this challenging period, his engagement with nature served to be therapeutic, aiding him in overcoming his emotional struggles.

Roche traces his love for nature back to his childhood and cherishes the moments he spent amidst the nature in his grandfather’s village near Mangaluru.

“When I was in college, I used to go to my grandfather’s village during my holidays. I used to plant trees, add manure, and water plants. It gave me a sense of joy and comfort,” he recalls. “So, when I was in a challenging situation in 2004, I started planting again to get some kind of comfort in my life.”

Looking back at the past two decades, Roche reflects, “Being close to nature gives me a sense of joy and comfort and planting trees is one way of doing that. So, I plant trees wherever I can.”

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Transforming Mangaluru

Since 2014, Roche has been planting trees in different places in Mangaluru like cemeteries, dumping yards, schools, and highways. He explains that in open spaces like school grounds, he usually uses trench plantations, while in forest regions he does pit planting. In cemeteries, Roche has been using the Miyawaki technique. After he started planting trees full-time, he read articles about this technique and its success. As such he became increasingly interested in the technique and decided to try it out.

The Miyawaki technique, which was developed by the late Japanese forest ecologist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s, focuses on the interaction of native plant species.

“Initially, I did commit some mistakes like choosing the wrong species, but slowly I understood the right way to do it,” he adds.

Explaining the Miyawaki method, Roche says, a few steps need to be followed. First, the soil at the prospective forest site undergoes analysis and enrichment. Following this, native tree seedlings, along with herbs and shrubs are planted in a haphazard manner within this soil, forming close clusters and layers. For three years, vigilant monitoring and frequent weeding is needed after which it is allowed to develop naturally.

In Mangaluru, Roche has successfully introduced the Miyawaki concept along the National Highway and in localities such as Nanthoor, Gurupura, the Karnataka Polytechnic College, and Nandigudda. He has also used it to plant trees in around 14 cemeteries in Mangaluru.

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“Now, since our forest covers are depleting faster, humans are resorting to such techniques, which provide the yield quicker,” he says. Roche believes that for Miyawaki to be successful, the steps should be performed in the right manner.

Since it was becoming difficult for Roche to gather funds, he started the Vana Charitable Trust in 2021 with the aim of crowdsourcing money for planting trees.

Other than this project, Roche has also worked on the Pachanady dumping ground in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district.

During the monsoon season, this area, which is about 38 acres of land, would be filled with approximately tonnes of waste. In August 2019, the local villagers had to be evacuated as rainwater carried garbage from the dump yard into their houses.

In 2020, Roche planted 1,570 saplings such as teakwood, rosewood, banyan, fig, peepal trees, and more at the dumping ground to fill it with green cover.

Out of the 38 acres of land, 30 percent has been used for tree plantations. The rest of the space is used for dumping waste. Roche says the problem of foul smell has reduced, but a lot of work is required to mitigate the whole issue.

Roche also plants trees on donated lands. Till now, five individuals have contributed their lands ranging from one acre to eight acres for the purpose of tree plantations. Roche recalls a recent conversation with a Dubai-based businessman who wanted to do something for nature. As a result, he told Roche that he would be donating a land in Mangaluru for tree plantations.

Roche’s efforts extend beyond tree planting. He is also actively involved in the relocation of trees that affect development projects. He elaborates on the process, detailing how the area around a tree is excavated based on its height and width. The tree is then carefully uprooted and transported to its new location. Upon arrival, a suitable area is excavated, taking the tree's size into account. With the assistance of bio boosters and manure, the tree is successfully relocated. So far, Roche has relocated over 75 trees in and around Mangaluru.

"While I generally prefer not to relocate trees due to the potential damage it can cause, I recognise that in urgent situations, it's preferable to relocate them rather than not having them at all," he adds.

Roche believes that it is high time people start taking proper care of nature. So far, Roche has planted over two lakh trees in and around Mangaluru, but says that he wants to plant a lot more trees.

“Nature has helped me overcome my struggles and this is my way of repaying its debt,” he signs off.