Earlier this week, Lily Katuwal KC, Founder of Lily’s Leaves, was honoured to host a visit by the distinguished Japanese botanist Professor Emeritus Dr.Kazue Fujiwara who was once a colleague of the late Professor Akira Miyawaki who devised the rapid reforestation Method that carries his name. We have been pioneering the use of the Method in Nepal since December 2021, initially in rural settings in Dhanusha District, south Nepal. Through Lily’s Leaves, we set up the first urban Miyawaki forest in Kathmandu in July 2023, since when we have added two more in April and June 2024.
Professor Fujiwara visited our three sites in reverse order, offering constructive criticism at the first two locations that were planted this year. Her expert advice was well received (we are happy to be on a steep learning curve) but when she reached the first site she was bowled over by the success that Lily and her workforce have achieved. She offered a very big “Well done!”. However, you don’t need to be a discerning Professor to see the impact of the Miyawaki Method. Lily is pictured below with an Indian Teak sapling that was planted at our first site in south Nepal just three years ago.
Full disclosure - Lily is half a metre tall
We have been funding these projects through individual donations, corporate and institutional grants and, most recently, through gifts in Wills. You can help us in the former by donating to the Big Give using the button below where your gift will automatically double in value (if you’re quick).
If the time isn’t right for a donation now, you could consider including a gift in your Will that could have a transformative impact further down the line in what will be a long-term environmental restoration programme for Pipal Tree.
