SDC GREEN KERALA MISSION
10 LAKH NATIVE TREES | 14 DISTRICTS | 5 YEARS
The SDC Green Kerala Mission, initiated by the Sustainable Development Council (SDC), is a statewide ecological restoration programme aimed at establishing, protecting, maintaining, geo-tagging and monitoring 10,00,000 native trees across all 14 districts of Kerala.
The programme is designed not as a one-time tree planting campaign, but as a structured ecological restoration initiative based on the principle:
PLANT → PROTECT → MAINTAIN → MONITOR → REPLACE → RESTORE
The programme gives priority to technically suitable degraded and environmentally sensitive locations, including quarry and mining-affected areas, degraded public and government land, watershed areas, river and stream corridors, educational institutions, institutional land, Panchayat/municipal land and suitable public spaces. SDC Green Kerala Mission Project
OUR VISION
To build a living, protected and measurable ecological restoration network across Kerala through native trees and long-term local stewardship. SDC Green Kerala Mission Project
OUR MISSION
To establish 10,00,000 native trees through technically screened sites, ecologically appropriate species, protection, maintenance, geo-tagging, survival verification and community participation. SDC Green Kerala Mission Project
WHAT MAKES GREEN KERALA MISSION DIFFERENT?
The SDC Green Kerala Mission does not consider planting a sapling as the completion of the project.
Each plantation is intended to follow a controlled lifecycle covering:
- 🌱 Native tree plantation
- 🛡️ Tree protection
- 💧 Regular maintenance
- 📍 Geo-tagging
- 🆔 Tree / Batch identification
- 📸 Photographic documentation
- 🔍 Quarterly inspection
- ♻️ Replacement of failed trees where appropriate
- 📊 Survival monitoring
- ✅ Physical and financial verification
The programme's objective is therefore to report surviving and established trees, rather than simply counting the number of saplings initially planted. SDC Green Kerala Mission Project.
WHERE WILL THE TREES BE PLANTED?
The mission identifies several potential restoration landscapes:
Quarry & Mining-Affected Areas
Restoration of suitable degraded areas through native plantation, soil stabilisation, erosion control and biodiversity restoration.
River & Stream Corridors
Appropriate native vegetation and restoration of suitable buffer areas.
Watershed & Catchment Areas
Tree establishment linked with soil and water conservation.
Government & Panchayat Land
Improving green cover and restoring suitable public land.
Schools & Colleges
Plantation combined with eco-club activities, stewardship and environmental education.
Hospitals & Institutions
Suitable institutional-campus greening.
Urban Public Spaces
Parks, playgrounds and other suitable public spaces.
The report also establishes a safeguard principle: planting should not be undertaken merely to achieve a numerical target; site suitability, permissions, safety and long-term maintenance must be assessed first.
THREE-YEAR MAINTENANCE & SURVIVAL MONITORING
The mission includes a defined three-year maintenance cycle for each planted batch.
Year 1 — Establishment
Watering, staking, guard repair, weed control, soil/moisture checks and casualty replacement.
Year 2 — Survival & Gap Filling
Replacement of failed trees, nutrition, mulching, weed management, watering and protection.
Year 3 — Ecological Establishment
Health, growth, canopy development, survival confirmation and continuity recommendations.
Quarterly inspection provides 12 formal inspection rounds over three years.
OUR PROGRAMME PRINCIPLE
PLANT • PROTECT • MAINTAIN • MONITOR • REPLACE • RESTORE
The SDC Green Kerala Mission is therefore not simply a campaign to plant 10 lakh saplings. It is a structured programme designed to create measurable, protected and monitored ecological assets across Kerala through native trees, long-term maintenance, digital traceability and community stewardship.
