It sounds almost like a late April Fools’ scheme of sorts when we learn that an ongoing project has increased Mumbai’s green cover, instead of eating into it. Surprising as it sounds, for the past five years, iNatureWatch Foundation, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Forest Department, has been working on eco-restoration across 25 hectares of Taloja Hills in Navi Mumbai. What was barren rocky terrain doubling as “excellent heating pans for the city” as founder and researcher Dr V Shubhalaxmi puts it, is now taking shape as a biodiverse ecosystem.

Restoration doesn’t only entail planting 13,000 trees (which the team did) and cordoning it off from public access, says Dr Shubhalaxmi. “Locals have been frequenting the hills for years. The goal was to strategically plant trees, build trails, beautify the terrain, and then invite them back in to see how beautiful the once desolate spot can look,” she explains.