Jadav Payeng is an environmental activist known as the "Forest Man of India". For over 40 years, he has single-handedly planted and tended to trees on Majuli Island, turning the barren land into a 1,360 acre forest that is now home to many animals. He was inspired to begin planting after seeing dead snakes washed ashore during a flood, and recognized the need to prevent erosion and protect wildlife. Through dedicated work alone each day, he created an entire forest ecosystem.

1. RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE
RESOURCES
JADAV PAYENG

2. SUMMARY OF THE LESSON

3. Jadav Payeng was a tribal man, born in 1963. He is an
environmental activist and forestry worker from “Majuli”, popularly
known as the ‘Forest Man of India’. For more than forty years, he has
planted and took care of trees on the island of the river Brahmaputra
turning it into a forest. The forest is named after him as ‘Molai Forest’. It is
located near Kokilamukh of Jorhat, Assam, India and has an area of about
1,360 acres/550 hectares. In 2015, he was honoured with Padma Shri
Award for his contribution.

4. The turning point in the life of Jadav was in 1979, during the monsoon,
sixteen-year-old Jadav saw a pile of snakes washed upon a sandbar after the
floods in the Brahmaputra River. He saw many dead snakes on the sandbars
and recognized that the absence of vegetation was worsening land erosion and
endangering animals, including humans, on Majuli island. It was the world’s
largest river Island. It was being slowly subsumed by the river water and soil
erosion. He decided to do something to save Majuli. After speaking with the
local community, they advised him to plant trees, especially plants like
bamboos which could survive difficult weather conditions. Jadav took their
advice to heart and started planting the trees. He stopped going to school and
planting trees became his full-time job.

5. ‘Majuli’ Island is located in the state of Assam. It is situated on the famous
Brahmaputra River. The island is 20 Kilo meters from the city of Jorhat and 326 kilo
meters from the Guwahati. It is the world’s largest river island. This island I almost
1000 hectares in area, it means 2471 acres. The ‘Majuli’ island is constantly threatened
by submersion due to the wide spread soil erosion when the river is on floods and due
to that the island is shrinking fastly. Meanwhile there came some help from the
government forestation after he began working on the island. The government project
was located five kilo meters away, which planted 200 hectares of trees over five years.
During this project, Jadav learned the proper techniques for sowing the seeds, and the
various trees and plant species that would thrive in the tough environment of sand, silt
and flooding. In 1980, the Forestry Division of Golaghat district launched a plan to
plant trees and Jadav took part in it. But in 1983, the program was suspended. Yet
Jadav continued his work on the Island.

6. Molai Forest now became the house for many elephants, Bengal tigers,
Indian rhinoceros, nearly over 100 deer’s and rabbits besides monkeys and
several varieties of birds, including a large number of vultures. There are
countless insects and many medicinal plants growing in the forest. The trees
and plants are incredibly diverse as Jadav planted as many seeds as he could
get across to and not just sticking to planting bamboos though bamboos are the
common plants there.

7. Jadav begins and ends his day in his forest, he feels it as his world. He
worked on his forest alone by waking up before the sunrise every day. He
moves to forest by rowing his boat across the Brahmaputra River to the island.
He works all day in the forest by planting trees, taking care of the saplings,
younger trees and plants. He always makes sure that everything is right in his
contained ecosystem. No one knows about his work. He had an idea about each
plant and tree in the forest. He always believes in his work, respect his work
and feel it is a part of mishing traditions and giving it back to nature.

8. Jadav faced many threats to save his forest. There are people who are
ready to cut the trees for wood. He lost many of his cattle because of the wild
animals like tigers. But he never gets angry and he felt that nature has made its
food chain and he did not like to disturb it. The forest had threats from
poachers who kills wild animals for their flesh and skins. The neighbouring
village people want to cut down trees and bamboos for wood or for making
furniture. People don’t think of long-range benefits of forest, they always prefer
short range benefits. But Jadav doesn’t allow them to cut the trees in the forest.
Natural resources like fossil oil, natural gas and coal are not renewable
resources. Once we take out oil and coal from the earth, there would not be
anymore. In one sense, forests are renewable if there is reforestation and
protection of the existing forests.

9. The life of Jadav Payeng gives inspiration to many people. He dedicated
his life for the forest and the animals living in his forest. Because of his efforts,
the deserted, eroded and abandoned land of Brahmaputra turned into a forest.
He lives in a small hut in the forest, Binta, his wife and his three children, two
sons and a daughter accompany him. He has cattle and buffalos on his farm and
sells the milk for his livelihood, which is the only source of Income. His forest
has direct impact on the surroundings, number of birds and animals were
taking shelter in his forest. He is not directly feeding the animals and birds but
they are feeding in the forest by following the natural food chain.

10. Jadav says that planting trees should become a culture. Every child on
his or her birthday should plant a tree. The people who are living close to the
nature must plant trees and protect them. Jadav thinks that children are
important for future and at the same time, plants are important for the
children. Planting trees should be a part of the school curriculum. Each child
should plant at least two trees and look after them till they leave school. In this
way, they will generate oxygen they need. This world belongs to plants and
animals. Animals cannot protect trees; it is man who can do it because he is
superior to all animal beings. He has to use his superiority in conserving
natural resources rather than destroying them. If the forest is protected, it will
be useful for the future generation.