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{{Short description|Informal group of conservationists}}
{{Essay-like|date=January 2026}}
'''Kerala's rainforest gardeners''' are a team of twenty to forty local women who look after the plants at the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in [[Kerala]], South Western India. Together they seek out, preserve and cultivate species of [[List of endangered plants|endangered plants]] local to the [[Western Ghats]] area of Southern India. They also work to restore nearby degraded [[habitat]] and run [[educational program]]mes. Many of the women do not have formal training or qualifications in [[Botany]] or [[conservation biology]]. Nevertheless, some have discovered [[Species description|new species]], [[Collaborative writing|co-author]]<nowiki/>ed articles on new plant species in [[Academic journal|science journals]], co-presented at botanical [[seminar]]s and now train and guide newer gardeners.

== Background ==
Founded in 1981 by Wolfgang Dieter Theuerkauf, a [[Autodidacticism|self-taught]] German [[Conservation biology|conservationist]], the now 32-hectare collectively owned, private Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, lies near the [[Periyar National Park|Periya]] reserve forest in northern Kerala. The sanctuary consists of open beds, greenhouses, nurseries, [[rainforest]], community living spaces and a two-acre [[botanical garden]] which is open to the public and serves as a catalyst for educational programmes. The sanctuary aims to restore habitat and conserve some 2,000 plant species. It is sometimes known as the "Noah's Ark for Plants."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=These Women are Reviving Kerala's Rainforest |url=https://www.goodnet.org/articles/these-women-are-reviving-keralas-rainforest |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Goodnet |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rainforest Concern - Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary |url=https://www.rainforestconcern.org/projects/gurukula-botanical-sanctuary |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Rainforest Concern |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=In a nutshell {{!}} gbsanctuary.org |url=https://www.gbsanctuary.org/inanutshell.html |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.gbsanctuary.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallsmith |first=Audrey |date=2025-07-14 |title=Kerala's Green Revolution: Protecting Rare Plants Before They're Gone |url=https://www.backyardboss.net/noahs-ark-of-endangered-plants/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=BackyardBoss |language=en}}</ref>

Before he died in 2014, Theuerkauf trained and [[Mentorship|mentored]] twenty local women to look after the rare species of native plants, including [[orchid]]s, [[fern]]s, and [[Succulent plant|succulents]], that he had collected from nearby land that was being cleared. Although the Western Ghats mountain range is listed as a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]], a growing [[Population growth|population]], [[urban sprawl]], [[climate change]] and [[deforestation]] have put the [[Biodiversity|bio-diversity]] and bio-abundance in the area under massive threat. Thanks to the work of the founder and the rainforest gardeners, the sanctuary is now a refuge for 40% of plant species found in the Western Ghats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AFP |date=2021-11-03 |title=Women guard India's rainforest 'refugees' |url=https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1109107/features/photography---flora-and-fauna/women-guard-indias-rainforest-refugees |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Oman Observer |language=en}}</ref><ref name="roundglasssustain.com">{{Cite web |title=Growing with Nature {{!}} Roundglass Sustain {{!}} Roundglass {{!}} Sustain |url=https://roundglasssustain.com/habitats/gurukula-botanical-sanctuary |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=roundglasssustain.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=In Pictures: The women guarding India's rainforest 'refugees' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/11/4/india-women-guarding-rainforest-western-ghats-climate-crisis |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-04 |title=The women guarding India's rainforest 'refugees' - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/11/04/2003767271 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref> The Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary community project has been supported by [[Tropical rainforest conservation|Rainforest Concern]] since 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-02 |title=Community-Led Rainforest Restoration in Kerala: A Model for Global Conservation |url=https://www.rainforestconcern.org/news/community-led-rainforest-restoration-in-kerala-a-model-for-global-conservation |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Rainforest Concern |language=en-gb}}</ref>

== The gardeners ==
Most of the women now living and working at the sanctuary had left school by the age of 15 or 16 and have no formal training in [[Botany]] or [[Conservation biology|plant conservation]]. They have however been carefully observing the plants in their care over the years and have experimented with different conditions to find out what helps the plants to thrive. Many of the women have worked at the sanctuary community for years and are now acknowledged as rainforest [[ecology]] experts. They wear boots to protect against snakes and leeches and work long hours. A senior gardener at the sanctuary is Sheena Mol. She joined the community when she was 15. It was her first job.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-23 |title=Gardeners Work to Protect 'Rainforest Gardens' Made to Be Noah's Ark for Endangered Plants |url=https://www.greenmatters.com/pn/gardeners-work-to-protect-rainforest-gardens-made-to-be-noahs-ark-for-endangered-plants |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.greenmatters.com |language=en}}</ref> Laly Joseph was originally in training as an X-ray technician but, needing a job urgently and already loving plants, joined the community of volunteers at the sanctuary some 35 years ago.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vallangi |first=Neelima |date=2025-07-01 |title=Meet Kerala's 'rainforest gardeners' creating a Noah's ark for endangered plants |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/01/kerala-india-rainforest-biodiversity-restoration-nature-gardeners-gurukula-western-ghats |access-date=2026-01-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Joseph now searches for rare plants under threat in the local area, and with the rest of the team restores them to health, experimenting with the best way to conserve and cultivate these 'plant refugees' within the sanctuary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Caring For A Rainforest {{!}} Nature inFocus |url=https://www.natureinfocus.in/the-restoration-notebook/caring-for-a-rainforest |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.natureinfocus.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-30 |title=The Western Ghats' amazing biodiversity is being brought back to life |url=http://www.euronews.com/green/2021/11/30/india-s-all-female-rainforest-team-take-on-cobras-to-protect-biodiversity |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AFP |date=2021-11-03 |title=Women guard India's rainforest 'refugees' |url=https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1109107/features/photography---flora-and-fauna/women-guard-indias-rainforest-refugees |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Oman Observer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=God's Own Gardeners {{!}} Tehelka |url=https://tehelka.com/gods-own-gardeners/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=tehelka.com}}</ref> She has discovered new species of plants<ref>{{Cite web |title=India Flora Online |url=https://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/herbsheet.php?id=6315&cat=13#:~:text=Collector(s)%20Name%20:%20Laly%20Joseph,,Collection%20Date%20:%2008/11/2002 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in}}</ref> and co-authors articles and co-presents seminars on rare and new species in scientific journals and conferences.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shajitha |first=P. P. |last2=Dhanesh |first2=N. R. |last3=Ebin |first3=P. J. |last4=Joseph |first4=Laly |last5=Devassy |first5=Aneesha |last6=John |first6=Reshma |last7=Augustine |first7=Jomy |last8=Mathew |first8=Linu |date=2016-11-05 |title=Molecular Phylogeny of Balsams (Genus Impatiens) Based on ITS Regions of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA Implies Two Colonization Events in South India |url=https://jabonline.in/abstract.php?article_id=162&sts=2 |journal=Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology |volume=4 |issue=6 |pages=001–009 |doi=10.7324/JABB.2016.40601 |issn=2347-212X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dutta |first=Raajwrita |date=2025-11-23 |title=Kerala Women Restore Forest & Protect 2000 Native Plant Species |url=https://thebetterindia.com/472446/gurukula-botanical-sanctuary-kerala-women-restore-forest-2000-plants/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=thebetterindia.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="roundglasssustain.com"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gillott |first=Gabi |date=2020-02-27 |title=Siân Bowen's Leverhulme Research Fellowship Exhibition: After Hortus Malabaricus: Sensing and Presencing Rare Plants |url=https://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/32799 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Botanics Stories |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McClure |first=Tess |last2=Johnson |first2=Sarah |last3=Begum |first3=Thaslima |last4=Lay |first4=Kat |last5=Malleret |first5=Constance |last6=Townsend |first6=Mark |last7=Vallangi |first7=Neelima |date=2025-12-26 |title=We can be heroes: the inspiring people we met around the world in 2025 – part two |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/26/inspiring-people-we-met-around-the-world-in-2025-part-two |access-date=2026-01-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Joseph was included in the '2025 World Everyday Heroes' section of ''The Guardian Weekly'' in December 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 19, 2025 |title=2025 World Everyday Heroes |work=[[The Guardian Weekly]] |pages=28–31}}</ref>

As well as [[Conservation biology|plant conservation]], the women work on the restoration of degraded land, for example parcels of tea and coffee [[plantation]]s adjoining the sanctuary which have gradually been acquired piece by piece. Suprabha Seshan, originally from Delhi, lives and works at the sanctuary. She joined Gurukula in 1991 as a [[Volunteering|volunteer]] [[Internship|intern]], stayed on and is now a renowned, published and prize-winning conservationist involved in the sanctuary's education and reforestation projects.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-30 |title=Re-growing a Forest: The Remarkable Life of Suprabha Seshan and Her Rewilder Friends {{!}} The Kodai Chronicle |url=https://www.thekodaichronicle.com/environment/re-growing-a-forest-the-remarkable-life-of-suprabha-seshan/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |language=en-US}}</ref> The rainforest gardeners use low intervention methods, such as some cutting, clearing, planting and tree dispersal, so that the [[reforestation]] or [[rewilding]] happens fairly naturally.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary |url=https://era-india.org/project/rewilding-former-plantations-and-degraded-forest-in-western-wayanad/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240618191711/https://era-india.org/project/rewilding-former-plantations-and-degraded-forest-in-western-wayanad/ |archive-date=2024-06-18 |access-date=2026-01-02 |work=ERA India |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-12 |title=In the Western Ghats, 20 Kerala Women Are Protecting a Forest Home to 2000 Native Plants |url=https://thebetterindia.com/472446/gurukula-botanical-sanctuary-kerala-women-restore-forest-2000-plants/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Vikalp Sangam |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:People from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian women environmentalists]]
[[Category:Ecology organizations]]
[[Category:Reforestation]]
[[Category:Biodiversity]]

Kerala's rainforest gardeners - Revision history

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