If Trees could talk..what stories would they tell?? | Uday Krishna Peddireddi | TEDxHITAM

Introduction of Uday Krishna Peddireddi and his work

• Uday Krishna Peddireddi established a nonprofit foundation committed to preserving India's urban greenery, which has made significant contributions to the Peshawar Wildlife Sanctuary and successfully transplanted over 2,000 trees and fostered 50,000 more throughout India (25s).
• The foundation's impactful Tree rehabilitation program continues to lead initiatives that combat the loss of urban trees and promote ecological sustainability (53s).
• Uday Krishna Peddireddi is recognized as the "Tree Man of India" and was honored as the best environmentalist of 2022 for his exceptional efforts in environmental conservation (1m7s).
• He started a quest called the "Vrig Tree Quest" to document India's greatest trees, about 150 trees that have stories behind them, and began by visiting the oldest and biggest trees of every state (1m46s).

Vrig Tree Quest

• He shared four tree stories from Telangana, including a tree in the Golf Association golf club that housed robbers, and the "Damara Tamin Tree," a healing tree about 60 km from Hyderabad (2m27s).
• He put all the tree locations on a map to see what he had, and his goal with the Vrig Tree Quest is to bring all these trees onto a platform where people can visit them (3m17s).

Origin and Mission of V Foundation

• His interest in trees started early in his life as a child, spending time in the jungle near his mom's village, and later developed into wildlife photography and eventually led to the creation of his foundation, the V Foundation (3m54s).
• The V Foundation is a combination of his passions for trees, wildlife, jungles, lakes, and travel, and was formed with the intention of saving trees in the urban space that are at risk of development (4m36s).
• A volunteer-based foundation was started to save trees from being cut down for developmental projects, such as flyovers and underpasses, by translocating them at no cost to the government (5m4s).

Growth and Achievements of V Foundation

• The foundation, which began with 10 people in 2010, has grown to have volunteers from all walks of life and has successfully translocated over 2,000 trees across eight states in India (6m12s).
• The foundation's journey began when 16 trees were saved from being cut down for a bridge construction project, with 13 of the trees surviving the translocation process (6m2s).
• The foundation receives calls from people across India to save trees that have fallen or are being cut down, and also educates people on the importance of preserving trees (6m56s).
• One notable example of the foundation's work is the translocation of a 100-ton tree in Goa that had fallen during a cyclone, which was successfully revived without the use of a crane (7m48s).
• Another example is the revival of a jungly Jil tree at a government school in Nagar Kul, which had fallen down in a summer storm and was saved by the foundation after the school principal reached out for help (8m8s).
• The translocation of the jungly Jil tree was done in front of the entire school, which served as an educational experience for the students, and the principal now celebrates the day the tree was saved every year (9m8s).
• A principal has successfully translocated two trees in her house, which is an inspiring example of what can be achieved with determination (9m17s).

Tiar Jungle Transformation

• V Foundation has adopted a jungle called Tiar in Maharashtra and worked to transform it into a thriving ecosystem over a period of 10 years (9m33s).
• The foundation's work involved complementing the efforts of the Department and engaging the local community to make the jungle a haven for wildlife, particularly tigers (9m58s).
• A resort was set up near the jungle to showcase the foundation's work and provide a destination for people from Hyderabad to experience the jungle (10m21s).
• The foundation has undertaken various initiatives in the jungle, including donating water tankers, planting biodiverse saplings, and cleaning up plastic waste (10m37s).
• A water body was created in the jungle, which has become a lifeline for the wildlife and is now home to tigers and other animals (10m57s).

Wildlife Observations and Learnings

• The experience of working in the jungle has taught valuable lessons about the behavior of tigers and other wildlife, which can be different from what is expected based on guidelines and rules (11m27s).
• For example, a tigress near a lake in the jungle would leave her cubs for two days to go hunting, and the cubs would get used to the presence of tourists and vehicles (11m51s).
• In contrast, a tiger near the resort was very shy and protective of its cubs, and would wait for them to cross the road before following (12m24s).
• These experiences have highlighted the importance of understanding the individual behavior of wildlife, rather than relying solely on guidelines and definitions (12m46s).
• The creation of water bodies in the jungle has also been an important initiative, with different types of water bodies attracting different types of wildlife (12m55s).
• For example, deer and wild boar would prefer certain types of water bodies, while tigers would prefer others (13m10s).

Kesaru Theur Resort and Tiger Density

• A resort was set up in Kesaru Theur, a place known as the farmer society capital of India, to create employment opportunities, and it became the beginning point for the area, where 1500 families have been employed in and around the jungle (13m48s).
• The jungle, which initially had only two pass tigers, now has eight resident tigers in 148 square kilometers, and with the cubs included, about 23 tigers, making it the highest density in India (14m28s).

Ecological Experiment and Learnings

• An experiment was conducted in the resort by creating a small water body, which was filled during monsoons and dried up in summer, and upstream fish would come and settle in the pond (14m49s).
• However, one season the fish didn't turn up, and 500 small fish were introduced from the local market, but they ended up eating all the other fish, changing the entire bird life around the pond (15m21s).
• This experience taught that every little tweak to nature has a big impact, and it's essential to understand this (16m9s).
• The learnings from this experience helped in developing a skill to convert dead areas into self-sustaining eco-centers (16m19s).

Victory Quest - Documenting Trees Across India

• After exiting the resort, a break was taken, and the Victory Quest was started, a drive across India to visit about 140 trees, each with its own story (16m49s).
• The Victory Quest aims to document the stories of these trees, create a book, and an online live map where people can click on these trees, most of which could be in their neighborhood (17m50s).

V Foundation's Impact and Reach

• The journey with V Foundation started with just 16 trees at an experiment and has grown to over 2,000 trees and about 500 volunteers spread across states (18m20s).
• The person receives calls from various places to save trees, which was an unexpected turn of events in their life (18m30s).
• A massive tree in Maharashtra, spanning around 3 acres, is one of the biggest trees documented, and its information will be available on the website (19m11s).

Challenges and Threats to Trees

• A tree in Sesar, Ratnagiri District, houses around 1,500 to 2,000 birds, but it was being cut down as it was in the middle of a flyover project (19m32s).
• The tree in Sesar, Ratnagiri District, may not survive due to the flyover project (19m50s).

Documenting Trees Globally

• Apart from documenting trees in India, the person is also covering trees across the globe (20m1s).
• A tree in Sri Lanka is a direct descendant of the Bodhi Tree, also known as the Mahabodhi, and is around 2,330 years old (20m7s).
• The tree in Sri Lanka is the world's oldest documented tree and is still surviving (20m11s).
• A tree in Fiji is one of the oldest trees in the country (20m24s).

Conclusion

• The person's journey started with a small experiment on 16 trees and has grown to become a part of a larger story (20m34s).