Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 2022 · Miyawaki method
UPSC Prelims 2022 · Environment · Nature’s Machinery
The "Miyawaki method" is well known for the:
- (a) Promotion of commercial farming in arid and semi-arid areas
- (b) Development of gardens using genetically modified flora
- (c) Creation of mini forests in urban areas
- (d) Harvesting wind energy on coastal areas and on sea surfaces
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) Creation of mini forests in urban areas
Akira Miyawaki’s method: many native species planted densely (3–5 per m²) on enriched soil, growing into a mini-forest about 10× faster.
The idea
A natural forest takes a century or more to form because it passes through grass, shrub and tree stages. The Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki skipped the early stages: prepare rich soil, then plant the trees of the final native forest very close together. Crowded saplings race upward for light.
List the native trees of the area → Enrich the soil with compost → Plant three to five saplings per square metre, mixed → Water and weed for two or three years → Then leave it alone: a dense mini-forest
Why the others are wrong
(a) It is about native forests, not commercial farming.
(b) It uses native species, never GM plants.
The trap
But remember the details: native species, dense, multi-layered.
Also know
It works on very small plots, which suits cities. Its limits: it is costly per square metre, and a planted patch is not a substitute for protecting natural forest.
🔒 Miyawaki = dense native mini-forests in cities (Japan; used by many Indian municipal bodies).
Solve this chapter interactively →All Environment questions