Harit Upvan Sorkha is one of the most miraculous projects, maintained and developed by Give Me Trees Trust and supported by HCL Foundation since 2017.  Harit Upwan Sorakha now acts as a Green Lung in the middle of a concrete jungle.

The lush green urban forest of Harit Upvan covers a total area of 4.96 hectares. The district Administration of Noida allotted a barren land filled with construction debris and community waste in Oct 2017. Give Me Trees Trust and HCL Foundation, through their collaborative efforts turned that into a thriving urban forest breathing a new life into the city. 

The GMTT team planted 88,000+ native trees, shrubs, grasses, creepers and climbers in which 80% are big canopy trees and the remaining includes small canopy trees, climbers, creepers and grasses. Major species planted at the plantation site are Desi Babool, Goolar, Pilkhan, Amaltas, Karanj Papdi, Siris, Neem etc. A wetland was also constructed to treat the wastewater, and 10 water holes and ponds were dug for rainwater harvesting. The team filled in 10 pits with green waste to yield compost and built an in-house nature education center to conduct various workshops. A model nursery for saplings for over 60+ species of native plants, grown organically (without use of any chemical pesticides or fertilizers) and total number of saplings planted at site with 90%+ survival rate.

Flora calls for Fauna. With a thriving canopy, wildlife has found sanctuary at our plantation site. The urban forests became a home to 77 species of birds, 40 species of butterflies, 10 species of mammals, 10 species of Reptiles and Amphibians, 6 species of spiders, 15 species of moths, and 14 species of dragonflies. 

Harit Upvan Sorkha is a hub for environmental education and awareness. Nearly 20,000 visitors have been coming to our site every year, including Government officials and their families, social organizations, schools, colleges, corporates and their volunteers. Visitors engage in guided nature walks, interactive nature educational talks, on-site workshops in a model experience zone. The internship programs increase the engagement of students on our site and have also attracted more visitors ultimately helping us in making our site as a base camp of nature related knowledge.

Harit Upvan Sorkha has proven to be a role model for urban greens, wildlife habitat, and community education for the environment.