SynTalk

Is dingo in danger? What are forests and gardens 'for'? Is the wilderness a place where humans are absent? What is the history of the conception of wilderness? Can nature be sculpted? Are gardens a space on a continuum between the city and the jungle? Why do we build gardens? What do you introduce into gardens? Are visually remarkable species preferred in this process? Why are only certain trees planted? Are there 'local' plants and animals? Are starlings American? Are potatoes Indian? Why aren't all alien species invasive? Are we an invasive species? When does adaptation succeed, & why are animals more constrained than plants in this context? Is Subabul the same as Kubabul? Must and can (some) plant species be eradicated? How do plants and seeds spread? What are the uses of trees in an urban landscape? Can gardens (or even jungles) collapse? Can gardens become forests (as stable networks)? (How & when) can rewilding be done? Why are planted forests sometimes sterile? What is the future of pulsating ecological forests? Do forests need forest departments? Can we just let the jungles be? SynTalk thinks about these & more questions using concepts from ‘ecological gardening’ (Pradip Krishen, New Delhi), environmental history (Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan, Ashoka University, Delhi), and crop physiology & bioprospecting (Prof. R. Uma Shaanker, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore). Listen in....