A man saves his Island with trees

Submitted by: The Two Sides Team May 1, 2018

Jadav Payeng has been working since 1979 to plant hundreds of trees to save his island, which is threatened by erosion. Northeast India’s Majuli Island, the world’s largest river island, was becoming a barren wasteland due to climate change. The Brahmaputra River that flows around it was eroding its shores at a steadily increasing rate. The island, home to 150,000 people, has lost over half its land mass to erosion since 1917. However, Payeng is protecting it by turning it into an oasis with a forest larger than Central Park. The forest is now home to elephants, rhinos, tigers, and more.

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