An area known for its rich biodiversity including cardamon grassland and shola forests, Cardamom Hill Reserve consists of seven panchayats of Idukki - Karunapuram, Chakkupallam, Vandanmedu, Santhanpara, Nedumkadom, Udumpanchola and Pampadumpara.
The area is also a gene pool of wild relatives of cultivated plants, large number of wild orchids and wild animals like Malabar Civet, Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur and Malabar Giant Squirrel.
As part of the programme, Biodiversity Management Committee of KSBB recently organised a tree-planting campaign in Karunapuram Panchayat in collaboration with the forest Department and gram panchayat, a KSBB release said here today.
Karunapuram had been facing acute shortage of rain in the last five years. The release said 20,000 tree saplings arranged by KSBB would be planted by 1,500 volunteers of MG University, Kottayam.
Besides indiscriminate felling of trees, use of toxic pesticides had also degraded the area's fragile ecosystem.
