Visakhapatnam Chief Conservator of Forests I. K. V. Raju on Tuesday called for the extensive use of seed balls to improve green cover and stressed the need to conserve indigenous plant species through systematic collection of native seeds.

Speaking at a seed-ball preparation training programme organised at Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary under the leadership of Green Climate Team NGO founder-secretary J.V. Ratnam, Mr. Raju said changing weather conditions had made environmental protection an urgent priority. He urged people to distribute the seed balls widely across hill tracts, plains and coastal regions during the monsoon season to improve green cover and ecological balance.

Mr. Raju appealed to the public to hand over seeds collected from dried fruits to the Forest Department and underlined the importance of preserving indigenous varieties for future generations.

Explaining the preparation process, Mr. Ratnam said forests were vital for sustaining life on Earth and maintaining ecological stability. Participants prepared the seed balls using a mixture comprising 70% fresh cow dung and 30% soil, shaping them into small lumps containing seeds. The prepared seed balls, he said, should be dried for three days and stored in a well-ventilated place free from grass.

Among those present were Manikya Kumari, NSS Programme Officer of St. Joseph Women’s Degree College, District Forest Officer Somasundaram, Paderu DFO Umamaheswari, Parvathipuram DFO Prasuna, Chintapalli DFO Narasimha Rao, Anakapalli DFO Samuel, Squad DFO Sunil Kumar and Visakhapatnam Sub-DFO Srivani. A large number of rangers, forest officials and staff from the Uttarandhra region participated in the programme.