ecological restoration

Roundglass Foundation’s ‘The Billion Tree Project’ has planted over 3 million native trees across Punjab, restoring biodiversity, improving soil and water health, and creating thousands of jobs for women and youth. Learn how this movement is improving lives.

From reviving forests to reimagining cities, sustainability in India is being redefined by bold, everyday action. As part of Optum Presents The Better India Showcase, supported by the M3M Foundation, here are five changemakers leading the way.

Bob and Tanya came to Kodaikanal for a trip but stayed 30 years to revive Tamil Nadu’s rare shola forests, proving ordinary people can save ecosystems.

When Ramachandra saw trees being cut, he quit his job and started Green Morning Horticulture Services. Since 2010, it’s helped move 1.5 lakh trees to safety.

In Kerala’s Western Ghats, 20 local women are restoring a rainforest from the roots up. At Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, they’ve nurtured over 2,000 native plant species and brought back birds, frogs, and even signs of tigers — with no formal training, only care.

Every monsoon, a government-run nursery in Udupi, Karnataka, offers indigenous saplings for as little as Rs 20, encouraging locals to grow native forests on their land. Here’s how Siva Sankar and his team at Magadha Vana used this initiative to transform their farm.

Long thought to exist only in Meghalaya, this critically endangered tree has now been identified in Assam’s Jeypore Reserve Forest, changing what we know about its habitat.

Environmentalist and teacher Shyam Sunder Jyani led a massive campaign with over 2,500 villagers to restore 84 hectares of gypsum-mined wasteland in Rajasthan. By fostering community involvement and planting native species, the initiative transformed barren land into a thriving wildlife haven.

Cities worldwide are tackling pollution and heat with fast-growing pocket forests. Can India adopt this eco-friendly solution for greener, cooler urban spaces?