A weekend retreat, lazy Sunday afternoons. Changing the world, never felt so good.
AN INTRODUCTION TO WILDWOODS
The sweep of a hill, the filigree of sunlight laced through the woods, songbirds in a Sunday medley and you. Welcome to a beautiful way of life. Wildwoods invites you to find a home, made in nature amidst the Sahyadri mountains in the Western Ghats. A home in Wildwoods, promises to be wooded, eco-friendly haven. It offers you an earthy and unique retreat that's close to the city, but magically far away from its stresses.
Sprawled across 150 acres of hill and forested lands, it is project with a unique purpose. It seeks to go beyond mundane realities of real estate to an inspired vision of creating a wooded reserve. Wildwoods seeks to conserve, restore and replenish the bio-diversity of the rich ecosystem that surrounds it. Built for the ecologically conscious, the nature-loving and those who wish to find a space off the beaten track, it offers homes that will exist in aesthetic and functional harmony with their surroundings.
Don't just build a holiday home for yourself: build a forest for the hills, build a legacy for the world and your children.
SAHYADRI HILLS & TAMHINI:
A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
"In this ecological treasure trove located in what is barely five percent of India's land, you can discover 27% or between 4000 to 15000 of all species of higher plants in India."
At Wildwoods you'll come home to tailor-made luxury that you can enjoy with a gladdened conscience. Your beautifully landscaped home and land will exist in reborn forests that have a story. Your children will enjoy the privilege of running through a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the "hotspots" of biological diversity in the world.
For hundreds of years forests have helped us, now it's our turn to return the favour.
RESTORING FORESTS AT WILDWOODS
To understand how much thought is going into creating the Eden that you will inhabit, here's a picture of how we are bringing the forests alive again. Wildwoods is being created in close consultation with our ecological partner Oikos. We're not just replanting on your land, we're restoring it to make it richer than we found it.
WHAT IS FOREST RESTORATION?
Forest Restoration is a specialized form of reforestation. It differs from conventional tree plantations in that its primary goals are biodiversity recovery and environment protection.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR US:
A fresh breath of air for starters. At any time, forests account for as much as double the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Even as more manmade carbon is produced, forests remove around three billion tons of manmade carbon every year. This amounts to about 30% of all carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. In short, trees help us to continue to breathe despite all the pollution we create. An increase in the overall forest cover around the world will help to slow down the devastation effects of global warming. Forest also preserve biodiversity, protect microclimates and create a long term virtuous cycle that even leads to greater economic prosperity for locals when executed in partnership.
We've worked hard to get to know the locals, before we moved in. After all, forest eco-systems make for a very exclusive neighborhood.
ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Your home here is a part of a larger plan. It will be built for beauty and tranqulity but also so that your garden can serve as crossroads for rabbits, butterflies and birds.
You might encounter new furry and feathered neighbors on every hike through your neighborhood. We identified hundreds of species of flora and founa before the project. Our overarching ecological strategy has ensured that every-thing, from natural water resources to native tree species, has been kept in mind in our conservation and planning efforts. Which means you can meet a 100 year-old tree, camp by an ancient watering hole and hear the chirp of foreign visitors every migratory season.
Foreign species use 10 liters per plant per day as opposed to the 3.33 litres on an average that local species require to thrive.
ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Reforestation must be done using native species that are suited to a region. The planting of foreign species can have a negative impact on an already fragile ecosystem.
Our main focus is not just on plantation but on improving the ideal conditions for self-regeneration in the land. So instead of mass plantations on the entire land, around 100 to 250 native plants are planted every year.
We're bringing back the birds and the bees. So, they're still around for your children.
BIO-DIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION
You might encounter new furry and feathered neighbors on every hike through your neighborhood. We identified hundreds of species of birds and animals before the project. Our overarching ecological strategy has ensured that every-thing, from natural water resources to native tree species, has been kept in mind in our conservation and planning efforts. Which means you can meet a 100 year-old tree, camp by an ancient watering hole and hear the chirp of foreign visitors every migratory season.
RE-ESTABLISHING SMALLER ECO-SYSTEMS AND HABITATS
FOR SMALLER FAUNA, THAT SERVE AS FEEDERS
FOR LARGER ECO-SYSTEMS.
For instance, the Mangi Fera Indica, better known as the mango tree attracts many birds, Pale billed and thick billed flower peckers being amongst them. Symbiotic relationships between plants, birds and insects are reestablished setting the bedrock for the restoration of larger eco-systems.
LIST OF TREES
Common Name Scientic Name
- Ain Terminalia tomentosa
- Apta Bauhinia racemosa
- Amba Mangifera indica
- Asana Bridelia retusa
- Babhul Acacia nilotica
- Bahava Cassia stula
- Bhokar Cordia dichotoma
- Bibba Semecarpus anacardium
- Bor Ziziphus mauritiana
- Chinch Tamarindus indica
- Grewia species
- Henkel Maytenus senegalensis
- Karanja Pongamia pinnata
- Kate Sawar Bombax malabaricum
- Kavath Limonia acidissima
- Khair Acacia catechu
- Kuda Holarrhena pubescens
- 18. Maharukh/ Mahaneem Ailanthus excelsa
- Moha Madhuca indica
- Moi Lannea coromandelica
- Mokha Schrebera swietenioides
- Neem Azadirachta indica
- Pangara Erythrina suberosa
- Patangi Dalbergia melanoxylon
- Phashi Dalbergia lanceolaria
- Sag Tectona grandis
- Salai Boswellia serrata
- Shewga Moringa pubescens
- Shindi Phoenix sylvestris
- Umbar Ficus racemosa
- Wad Ficus benghalensis
- Waras Heterophragma quadriloculare
- Waval Holoptelea integrifolia
Before we dug in new foundations, we decided to plant deeper roots.
LAND RESTORATION
You'll find little touches of earth love everywhere on and around your property. From the hedges that edge your gardens and orchards, to the soil your children will make mud-pies in, we're creating a space that will truly allow you to exist in harmony with nature.
PROTECTION
To protect that land from overgrazing and slash and burn practices, we've planted a thick living thorny hedge of native Nirgudi, Pipar, Bhoma, Bamani. This will prevent indiscriminate grazing and allow the land to heal.
Conventionally, locals set fire to the grazing lands in the mistaken belief that this improves the soil. This has a devastating impact on the plants, trees and animals of the region, setting the eco-system back to ground zero every year. We're protecting the land from such fires in the future. A fire line has been created with a buffer belt of 10 to 15 feet width through controlled fire. With a kindling free zone surrounding the land, it is protected from forest fires.
Rebuilding soil fertility and moisture
- Plow composted organic waste into the soil to increase fertility.
- Plant water-rich grasses to migrate away from drought-resistant varieties. This helps establish micro-ecosystems for small fauna and alters the soil composition.
Getting to know the locals
A WILDWOODS SURVEY OF NATIVE AND MIGRATORY BIRDS
Another reason we're planting forests, is to arrange the homecoming of the land's original inhabitants, so that one day you can greet them in the morning from your window. The region is home to more 50 species of songbirds and gets flying visits from many more. More than 200 hundred species of birds migrate to Bhugaon Hills in response to changes in food availability, habitat, or weather. Flocks of migratory birds fly to Manas and Pashan Lake seasonally adding to the musicality of the woods that surround you.
Here are the names of some of the winged wonders your are likely to converse with from your window:
- Ashy Prinia
- Barn Swallow
- Baya Weaver
- Black Lored
- Yellow Tit
- Black Redstart
- Black Winged Kite
- Common Iora
- Common Quail
- Common Tailorbird
- Dusky Crag Martin
- Golden Oriole
- Great Tit
- Greenish Warbler
- Grey Wagtail
- Indian Cormorant
- Indian Grey Hornbill
- Indian Robin
- Jungle Babbler
- Little Egret
- Oriental Magpie
- Robin
- Oriental Skylark
- Oriental White Eye
- Alexandrine Parakeets
- Indian Pond Heron
- Purple Rumped Sunbird
- Purple Sunbird
- Rufous Tailed Shrike
- Red Throated Flycatcher
- Red Vented Bulbul
- Red Wattled Lapwing
- Rufous Tailed Lark
- Rufous Treepie
- Scaly Breasted Munia
- Small Bee Eater
- Small Minivets
- Tree Pipit
- Verditer Flycatcher
- White Throated Kingfisher
- White Breasted Waterhen
- White Browed Wagtail
- White Cheeked Tit
- White Throated
- Fantail Flycatcher
- White Wagtail
- Wire Tailed Swallow
- Wood Sandpiper
- Yellow Footed Green Pigeon
- Common Rose Finch
- Thick Billed Flowerpecker
- Coppersmith Barbet
- Small Blue Kingfisher
- Black Drongo
Getting to know the locals
A WILDWOODS SURVEY OF NATIVE FLORA
Trees and plants are the bedrock of every ecosystem. You have an opportunity to own and enjoy the land for its natural beauty. In this, your land could help to conserve and restore this beautiful eco-system. By owning this piece of land, you could help to create your very own wooded, giving back to the soil and forests. As the trees return, the land is seeing the resurgence of fauna, an improvement in soil quality and moisture levels. As efforts to reforest bear fruit, over the next few decades the region has the potential to be home to a dense forest of these wooded wonders.
LIST OF TREES
- Bija
- Pipar
- Kalam
- Shikekai
- Kalumbar
- Ain
- Pedgul
- Bharangi
- Samudra ashok
- Lodhra
- Sheras
- Murudsheng
- Shendari
- Newali
- Dhup
- Wet
- Bahawa
- Kinjal
- Gela
- Ambulaki
- Goyanda
- Anjani
- Kuda
- Raikuda
- Madhavi lata
- Parjambhul
- Satwin
- Maad
- Surangi
- Bakul
- Makadi
- Phanas
- Phansada
- Beheda
- Ranchafa
- Pisa
- Bhokar
- Shivan
- Kala kuda
- Hirda
- Kewada
- Amba
- Kumbha
- Kokam
- Wari karvi
- Bamboo
- Kusar
- Jambhul
- Nagchafa
To us God really is in the details.
Like in every drop of water.
WATER CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT
You don't have to worry about wasting water at Wildwoods. We make it easy for you to live green. From homes to gardens and forests, we make sure every drop is used better:
IN YOUR HOME: All faucets have an aerator to ensure less water is wasted per volume dispensed.
IRRIGATION WITH WASTEWATER: All gardens and personal spaces uses wastewater for irrigation, preventing loss of groundwater and pollution of local waterbodies.
NO CONCRETE JUNGLES: By ensuring that most pathways are built with stone rubble we prevent rainwater run-off. Water seeps back into the soil enriching the land.
Beauty that lies in the lay of the land. Gardens that give back to the forest.
ECO-LANDSCAPING & PLANTATION PLANNING
Dream up a garden and we'll grow it for you without harming the earth. Your garden here will be vision of local flowers and trees, changing in time with the seasons.
The answer lies in Ecological Landscaping. Paths may be bordered beautifully, but only with flowering plants that are indigenous to the area. Shady woodlands are created for you to hide in, but with native shady and perennial greens. Beautiful spaces are carved out with local species, to delight you with the wonders of mass blooming.
Ecological Landscaping is a more responsible way of designing gardens. It helps the process of beautification by preserving the biodiversity. It focuses on helping to build 'liveliness' on the land. Created wilderness is the base for this beautification.
Promoting the movement of native fauna
TREE CORRIDORS
The tree corridors will provide habitats & movement patches for fauna. These are planned in terms of roadside avenue, hedges along walkways, boundary plantation and stream side plantations.
STEPPING STONES
Single trees or cluster of shrubs are planned across the built-up area to act as stepping stones for fauna movement. This will also include shrub hedges or flower beds in between buildings, podiums, parking areas.