What can a mainstream luxury resort do towards conservation and preservation of biodiversity within its properties? Can a portion of its property be set aside for ecological restoration? Can this be an example that is set for other businesses to follow – that such businesses can also do something towards biodiversity conservation? Can a venture like this be viable for the business? These were some of the questions those at ila and the Ibnii were asking themselves before taking on this restoration project. We understood that bringing back a complex ecosystem such as this rainforest within the Western Ghats is a slow process. The premise is that the place can heal itself, and the succession of natural regeneration is the best way. We can aid this process with minimal intervention, such as invasive plant removal and protection of the site. Even though this is a small fragment of island vegetation surrounded by coffee plantations, this patch is rich in biodiversity owing to it being undisturbed for many years. Being in the vicinity of well-established coffee plantations one can assume that this patch too would have been managed as a plantation for the past 100 years or so. What is evident is that the present batch of coffee would have been planted around 25 years ago and has not been managed for the past 20 years resulting in the whole understory of the forest being smothered by hundreds coffee saplings of every size. years. As a result of neglect, the mature coffee plants have been dropping seeds all these years.

The positive effect of neglect is that there has been some amount of natural regeneration. Also there was already a good variety of native rainforest trees, and the canopy of these have been undisturbed for many years. There has been no chemical input or soil disturbance within the area in the recent past. All these features make this patch ideal for restoration with out to much interference, where we hope to see rainforest take root again.

Being a public place, this is on its way to becoming a rich educational tool to engage the people who come to the resort. Yes, it would be a disturbance, but with pathways and benches guests have a chance to appreciate and learn from this place. Sensitising the public to nature is of great importance and this small patch gives that opportunity without making any sacrifices for the business, rather this becomes an added feature to the place that would invariably invite more people seeking such experiences. Preserving a small forest fragment is valuable in itself and making it also relevant for the business, can sustain the restoration effort it in the long term.