In our blog post of 4th December, we announced the launch of our latest ambitious urban nature project in Kathmandu, the planting of a forest alongside the Bagmati River. I am sharing with you below some images of work in progress – it’s been a hive of activity.

As we pointed out in the original post, the ground not only requires clearing of rubbish and litter, but also enrichment with organic material. The soil was essentially nothing more than sand which won’t grow anything. The organic material consists of manure, fertile soil and Water Hyacinth, an invasive species that makes an excellent substrate. Sharp-eyed Lily Katuwal spotted a pond near Swayambhu being cleared of Water Hyacinth and immediately asked the authorities if it could be kindly dumped at our site. And they readily agreed!

This project is being funded by Pipal Tree using public donations and grants made through The Big Give alongside gifts in Wills.