From Barren Port Land to a Living Forest
At India’s largest container port, Forest Creators and SBI Foundation turned seven acres of bare, salty, compacted ground into a dense native forest of more than 1 lakh trees, using Bharat Vann™.
Supported bySBI Foundation
In collaboration withJawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA)
Executed byForest Creators
The project at a glance
Why this forest was needed
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) at Nhava Sheva is India’s largest container port. Large ships arrive and leave all day, and a constant stream of trucks carries containers in and out. That activity keeps the country’s trade moving, but it also has a cost for the air, the land and the people nearby:
- Ship emissions. Ships burn fuel while they are berthed and on the move, adding smoke and fumes to the air.
- Dust from trucks. Heavy truck movement lifts dust from roads and open ground, and it hangs in the air over the port and surrounding areas.
- Bare, degraded land. Cleared and built-over ground loses its soil life, shade and green cover.
Trees are one of the simplest ways to push back. Leaves catch dust, shade cools the ground, roots hold the soil together, and a forest gives birds, insects and small animals a home. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) recognised its responsibility to give back to the ecosystem it works in, as part of its vision of becoming a Green Port.
SBI Foundation made it possible
SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of State Bank of India, gave a grant to plant 1,08,000 trees at the JNPT SEZ. The project, SBIF CONSERW: ARANYA – JNPA Dense Forestation, was carried out with JNPA, and Forest Creators designed, planted and now looks after the forest.
It is a clear example of what CSR funding can do when it is turned into something that keeps growing: a living forest that cleans the air, cools the land and shelters wildlife for decades.
The project signboard at the site records 1,09,627 trees of 79 varieties, planted in May–June 2024, as ECF Miyawaki Forest No. 117.
The challenge
This was not an easy site for a forest. Four problems had to be solved first.
Poor, tired soil
The soil was heavily compacted and had few nutrients or living microbes, so it could not support natural forest growth.
Salt and harsh weather
Being close to the sea meant salty soil and air, strong winds and sudden swings in humidity that can stunt young plants.
Scale and logistics
More than 1 lakh saplings had to be planted on 7 acres inside an active Special Economic Zone, with careful planning and tight timing.
Doubts about the method
The Miyawaki method is usually used on smaller plots. Partners were unsure it would work on a large, coastal, industrial site.
How Forest Creators solved it
Bringing the soil back to life
The soil was enriched with organic compost, biochar, cocopeat and beneficial microbes, recreating the conditions of a forest floor so roots could go deep.
The right native trees
Only salt-tolerant native species were chosen. Mulch kept moisture in the soil, and rows of natural windbreak trees protected young saplings.
Planting in phases
The land was divided into small zones with phased planting and quality-control teams, so spacing, variety and care were right everywhere.
Showing, not just telling
Site visits, workshops and growth data won over the doubters. As the greenery appeared, scepticism turned into strong support.
The journey: before and after
Drag the handle to compare the site before planting with the young forest that followed.
BEFOREAFTER
Before: barren land (early 2024)
Flat, compacted, salty ground with almost no plants, cleared and levelled for planting.
Planting day
Local workers prepared the soil, added mulch and planted thousands of saplings, phase by phase.
Early growth
Bamboo stakes, drip irrigation and mulch helped the saplings stand tall and strong.
The forest today
Trees now stand several feet tall, and the forest is thick, layered and full of life.
Flowers are blooming at the site
Where there was bare soil, there are now flowers. Blooms like these bring in bees, butterflies and other pollinators, a sign that the forest is becoming a living ecosystem.
The impact
- A barren 7-acre stretch now holds a growing forest of more than 1 lakh native trees.
- The trees were planted with natural soil enrichment and no chemical inputs.
- The forest is home to a growing range of plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
- It has become a living laboratory for students, researchers and climate advocates.
- It offsets an estimated 2,700 tonnes of CO₂ every year.
- It stands as a model of green transformation for ports and industrial areas across the country.
This project shows what a Bharat Vann forest can do at scale, even on one of Maharashtra’s most industrial sites.
Project information
- Location
- Jawaharlal Nehru Port SEZ, Nhava Sheva, Maharashtra
- Supported by
- SBI Foundation
- In collaboration with
- Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA)
- Executed by
- Forest Creators (Enviro Creators Foundation)
- Trees
- 1,09,627 trees of 79 varieties
- Area
- 7 acres
- Planted
- May–June 2024
- Forest number
- ECF Miyawaki Forest No. 117
Want a forest like this?
Whether you are a company planning CSR, a port or industrial estate, or a government body, we can design, plant and care for a dense native forest with you.