As a teen, Jadav Payeng began burying seeds near his birthplace near the northern Indian Assam region. Soon after, he moved there permanently to dedicate his life to growing this forest. His life work has resulted in a massive jungle of 1,360 acres that he planted single-handedly!
Payeng says he was inspired as a teen when he saw a large number of snakes dead on a sandbar after a flood. He realized that snaked died because they didn’t have any trees to protect themselves from the heat. People told him that this sandbar was not going to be able to grow anything and that he should try to grow bamboo instead. He kept going and even displayed great knowledge of ecological balance: He even transplanted ants to his ecosystem to have natural harmony.
His reserve now serves as a haven for birds, deer, rhinos, tigers and elephants. What’s funny is that Indian officials didn’t know about this reserve until 2008.