Meet RK Nair, ‘India’s green hero’ lauded by Anand Mahindra for creating world’s largest Miyawaki forest

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra celebrated the creation of the largest Miyawaki forests in Kutch, Gujarat, highlighting the notable contributions of Dr Radha Krishna Nair. This 470-acre forest, home to over 300,000 native trees, exemplifies successful environmental initiatives and showcases the potential of the Miyawaki afforestation method.

In a post on social media platform X, he shared a video of a regenerated forest in Kutch, the largest Miyawaki forest in the world. “I knew what a Miyawaki forest was but had no idea about Dr Nair and how he had created the world’s largest such forest in India. At a time when the US has taken sustainability off its priority list, I am just grateful that we have such heroes amongst us,” Anand Mahindra wrote.

In the video shared by Mahindra, the narrator reflected on the role of Dr RK Nair.

“This is a Miyawaki forest made possible by the state government's environmental initiatives and the vision and hard work of Dr Radhakrishna Nair, the green hero of India,” the narrator said.

“These forests offer Green Tower reduced temperatures, enhanced biodiversity and hope for a sustainable future, with each year turning out to be hotter than the last. We need state-backed environmental initiatives like Miyawaki Forest now more than ever,” the narrator added.

Who is Dr RK Nair?

The Kutch forest spans over 470 acres and is known as the largest Miyawaki forest in the world. This milestone is a part of the broader environmental initiative helmed by Dr RK Nair through his non-profit organisation, Enviro Creators Foundation, which has established more than 100 Miyawaki forests across India since 2014.

Originally from Kasargod, Kerala, Dr Nair started his journey through the Enviro Creators Foundation by restoring a small forest of 1,500 trees in 2014. Reportedly, Nair has helped create more than 100 Miyawaki forests.

What is the Miyawaki forest method?

The Miyawaki forest method was founded by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s and is a technique to create forests. This method uses various native species close together to create dense, natural forests in urban areas quickly. In this method, dense, rapidly growing forests are created by planting native species close to each other to mimic natural ecosystems. This technique helps to grow forests 10 times faster and 30 times denser than traditional methods.