Call Before Cut, a campaign by a group in Kerala to save indigenous and native mango varieties
A Kerala-based collective called Nattumanchottil has launched the 'Call Before Cut' campaign to preserve indigenous mango varieties. The group grafts saplings from native trees before they are felled for construction or development projects.
Why it matters
The initiative addresses the loss of biodiversity and genetic heritage in local fruit varieties caused by rapid urbanization and infrastructure development.
When Suvina OV from Chunda in Kannur thought of constructing a house, she felt bad that they would have to cut the huge native mango tree on that plot. But she soon found a solution. All she had to do was inform Call Before Cut, a campaign of Kannur-based Nattumanchottil, a collective that has been protecting and propagating unique and rare native and indigenous varieties of mango. Thus even before the foundation of her new house was ready, a grafted sapling of the same tree was planted in the same compound.
The report is a straightforward account of a local environmental conservation effort with no political agenda.
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