This slender book describes 28 characteristic rainforest trees from the Western Ghats, bringing the forest to life through text and illustration. Their research on the rainforest directly informs the innovative approaches to rainforest restoration that they adopt. Wind-dispersed trees stand tall above the forest canopy, enabling the wind to distribute their seeds to far-flung corners of the landscape without obstruction from other trees. Sunlight is a precious resource in the rainforest, and many species of Ficus use an ingenious strategy to grab the sunlight. The tree witnessed the Independence movement, saw the transformation of the agricultural landscape around it during the Green Revolution, and now stands next to a four-lane highway connecting Karnataka with Tamil Nadu, one of the last remnants of a once green and fertile landscape.

Source: Indian Express October 19, 2019 20:15 UTC