The rainforest restoration planting progressed smoothly thanks to the help of a number of enthusiastic volunteers and local assistants from the tribal settlements in the area. This years' planting saw the participation of our youngest-ever and most energetic 8-year old volunteers, Shiuli and Rawngone, and a number of school and college students, a group of wildlife photographers, besides the old faithfuls (NCF colleagues and field staff). The planters braved heavy downpours and hordes of leeches but were rewarded by the company of Great Pied Hornbills, gaur, muntjac, Malabar pit viper and blind snakes, Nilgiri langurs, and myriad other fascinating wildlife that continue to survive in these fragments.

During the 2007 south-west monsoon, around 2,500 saplings of around 80 different rainforest tree and liana species were planted in four restoration sites covering an area of 3-4 hectares. These sites are in rainforest fragments belonging to Tata Coffee Ltd and Parry Agro Industries Ltd on the Valparai plateau. Besides this, around 2,000 saplings are being planted in degraded areas (c. 10 ha) within the Valparai and Manamboli ranges of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in a joint initiative with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. An additional 2000 saplings have been provided as shade trees in vanilla and coffee plantations (as alternatives to non-indigenous species such as Eucalyptus, silver oak, and Maesopsis eminii). Rainforest plant seedlings are raised in our nursery in Injipara estate, on space provided by Tea Estates India Ltd. (Woodbriar Group), one of the partnering companies. 

Over the last few years, around 15,000 rainforest trees and lianas, of over 100 species typical to the mid-elevation tropical rainforest of the Anamalai hills, have been planted and nurtured in the restoration sites. Over 9,000 saplings have been planted out as future native rainforest shade trees in plantations. NCF's rainforest restoration programme aims to bring more degraded rainforest areas with high biological diversity potential into restoration and conservation efforts as refuges and corridors in the fragmented landscape of the Anamalai hills, an important conservation region in India. It has also laid emphasis on research and monitoring, training of conservation professionals, building local capacity for restoration, conservation education, dissemination of results in scientific forums and popular media, and identifying livelihood and resource-use patterns of local people and involving them in conservation efforts.