The other day I was at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to attend a conference. There I stumbled into the University's Arboretum, a unique place indeed! Every one of its 1,260 acres of land is full of natural wonders with incredibly diverse variety of flora and fauna. As in most arboreta, this also contains - in a neatly arranged garden-like display - the state's most extensive woody plant collection in their 60 acres of Longenecker and Viburnum gardens.

What makes this unique is the restored native plant and animal communities that prospered under the gentle guidance of the university researchers. These prairies, wetlands, and woods represent natural groupings of species that existed in Wisconsin at the time of the first European contact. As I walked along the more than 20 miles of trails, I was told that I was experiencing a landscape similar to the historic landscape of Wisconsin - as similar of course as the available expertise and resources allowed.

The Arboretum has played an important role in developing the idea that restoration represents a powerful tool for basic ecological research. Today, the Arboretum has become a highly regarded resource on subjects as diverse as land reclamation, preservation of habitat for rare and endangered species. The plants and animals that make up the Arboretum's ecological communities are the subject of considerable study for plant pathologists, wildlife ecologists, soil scientists, horticulturists, and a host of others.

The Arboretum offers a wide variety of educational programs, designed to increase the awareness of natural world in the public consciousness. There are tours and classes for adults and children, individuals and groups. Most classes emphasize hand-on approach to learning and focus on ways an individual can participate in restoration activities in their own properties, school yards or in public facilities. Tours are designed to introduce children to the Arboretum as an outdoor teaching and research laboratory. Earth Partnership programs for the public include volunteer work days where people can drop in and "learn by doing" about restoration activities of their choice. The Earth Partnership Program for Teachers is an outreach program to train teachers to establish restoration projects on their own school grounds.

I explored the possibility of establishing a collaborative link between the Arboretum and a university in India to conduct research and popularize the concept of ecological restoration. The university appears to be particularly interested in restoration projects in India aimed at restoring tiger habitats, projects that promote eco-tourism, and projects aimed at developing seed banks of vanishing plant species. The significance of the last item dawned on me when I was told how, in 1987, a botanist from Arnold Arboretum slogged through a swampy forest in Malaysia and accidentally collected branches of Calophylum lanigerum. Subsequent analysis proved that these leaves contain the substance calanolide A, which in the test tube proved to be 100 percent effective in killing the mutant AIDS viruses that develop resistance to the current wonder drug, the so-called triple-drug-cocktails.

It is a well-kept secret in western pharmaceutical circles that many of the drugs for cancer, heart disease, AIDS are waiting in the tropical jungles to be explored and exploited. If tropical countries like India should take charge of their own restoration work and learn to play this ecology card when they bargain for high-technology from the Western powers.

Perhaps our luck holds. In the cover of story of The Week, August 2, 1998, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, stated that he will push for Vana Samrakshana and support management of 40 lakh acres of degraded forest land. "I will ask the communities living near by to look after the land. We will give Rs 4,000 per hectare for plantation and maintenance. After five years I will give all the produce to the caretakers. With such incentive the forests will automatically be protected, there is no opportune time than now to embark on an experimental projects aimed at preserving and restoring our diverse biological wealth." The Chief Minister's dream is not far from my dream. Perhaps Eco Foundation can get a parcel of land for restoration. The restored land can be returned to a university for continuing research.