Gardeners Work to Protect ‘Rainforest Gardens’ Made to Be Noah’s Ark for Endangered Plants

At a time when most conservationists fret over valuable plants and tree species inching towards extinction, a quiet and lush private sanctuary is preserving a plethora of native and wild plants in the face of diminishing forest cover. The Gurukula botanical sanctuary in Kerala, India, is a haven for plants and is maintained by a group of gardeners who ensure every plant species is protected and given a chance to survive in the wake of reckless deforestation and urbanization. The ‘rainforest garden’ was created by Wolfgang Theuerkauf, a German conservationist, in 1981 after his spiritual leader presented him with 3 hectares of old-growth rainforest, as reported by The Guardian. 

The rainforest gardens in Kerala

Kerala is home to the Western Ghats, one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biodiversity recognized by UNESCO. Despite its significance to world biodiversity, the ghats are faced with a significant threat from urban sprawl and industrial activities. When Theuerkauf visited India to attend a spiritual institution, his guru gave him the forest to protect. Ever since, the German self-taught conservationist had been collecting rare and endemic plants from nearby and preserving them in his private sanctuary. The Gurukula sanctuary is located at the edge of the Periyar reserve forest in northern Kerala and has now grown to about 32 hectares, becoming a home to over 2,000 native plant species from the southern regions. 

To ensure the lush green rainforest gardens continued protecting native species, Theuerkauf trained and mentored 20 women from local communities. He died in 2014, but the 20 gardeners continue to protect and preserve the plants as the present custodians of the sanctuary. According to the source, the botanical sanctuary is a refuge to up to 40% of all plant species in the Western Ghats, and rare endemic species like the Impatiens jerdoniae thrive here. It is also a home to orchids, ferns, succulents, carnivorous plants, and other integral plant species. There are several plant sanctuaries across the globe, but none that particularly care for native and wild plant species, making it a Noah’s ark for endangered plant species. 

The heroes of the Gurukula sanctuary

A gold mine of native and wild plant species that are quietly disappearing from the world, the Gurukula sanctuary has become a hope for the environment. Rainforest gardeners like Laly Joseph, 56, head of plant conservation, are the most experienced of all the 20 gardeners and have been working here for the past 37 years. She was hired by Theuerkauf at 19 when she was in dire need of a job. “I was training to become an X-ray technician after school, but I wanted to get a job fast and took up work at the sanctuary because I also liked working with plants,” she said. 

Similarly, Sheena Mol PS is a senior gardener who joined the all-women team of gardeners at just 15. This was her first job, and it helped support her children and mother. “This is my first job, and I like it very much here. I was always interested in getting a job here,” PS revealed. However, like Theuerkauf, none of the gardeners are formally educated in botany. Yet, their success indicates something else. Three species have been named after the late German conservationist, while Joseph had co-authored seven scientific papers about new plant species, all without acquiring any formal degrees in the field. 

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