Located in Northeast India next to the Brahmaputra River is Majuli Island, a giant sandbar that is also the largest river island in the world. Home to 150,000 people, the island is also home to the 1,360 acre forest of Molai, which is one of the most unusual woodlands on earth because it was planted by just one man. Since 1979 a forestry worker by the name of Jadav Payeng has dedicated his entire life to planting the trees on the island. He has created such a large forest that at 1,360 acres it is now larger than New York’s Central Park.
Although the island is home to such a large population, it has a rapidly increasing problem with erosion and over the last 100 years the Island of Majuli has been halved. Payeng took it upon himself to try and fix this poor situation by planting thousands upon thousands of trees.
Not only has Payeng helped strengthen the island, but he has also created a natural habitat for several endangered animals including a herd of nearly 100 elephants, Bengal tigers and a species of vulture that hadn’t been spotted on the island for over 40 years. This incredible story gives you a lot of hope for the world, and the video above is well worth a watch.
via Colossal
