Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Wayanad trains next generation of conservationists

Periya, Wayanad: Tucked 26 km from Mananthavady, the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary (GBS) is hosting a new apprenticeship to teach ecological restoration, drawing students to its dense forests and community landscapes.

The route to GBS is scenic. From Coimbatore, visitors drive to Udhagamandalam, then via Gudalur and the Mudumalai forest check post to Sulthan Bathery, navigating steep hairpin turns and lush green stretches before reaching Periya after a seven-hour journey.

At GBS, Suprabha Seshan and her canine companions welcome visitors. Nights at the sanctuary’s new glass house are quiet, with an inky blue darkness settling over the hills. Mornings often begin with a walk past the dairy farm and tea at the community kitchen.

The visit centers on the School of Ecological Nurturance (SEN) apprenticeship programme, an initiative by GBS with The Forest Way Trust in Tiruvannamalai, Upstream Ecology in Ooty, and Adavi Trust in Mysore.

The GBS story is rooted in the land itself. Unlike much of Wayanad, where forests were widely cleared during mid-20th century land reforms, this patch survived as a mix of primary and secondary forest. As surrounding areas turned into farms growing tapioca, lemongrass, bananas, jackfruit, and mango in the 1960s and 70s, this forest remained.

It began with Wolfgang Theuerkauf, a German national and founder of GBS. “There was no plan to conserve biodiversity. He just didn’t clear the land,” says Suprabha. Today, the sanctuary holds dense plant collections, untouched forests, and streams, alongside community landscapes. Through SEN, it now works to pass on skills in ecological nurturance to a new generation of conservationists.