Why in news?

Miyawaki forest and Maze garden are new attractions at the Statue of Unity.  The Statue of Unity, its vision is that to turn it into a hub for tourism with attractions for each age group.

Highlights

Miyawaki Method

• It is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests.
• The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual.
• This technique works worldwide irrespective of soil and climatic conditions
• Using the methodology to create native urban forest ecosystems much quicker.
• The method takes its inspiration directly from processes and diversity in nature 15 to 30 different species of trees and shrubs are planted together. This plant community works very well together, and is perfectly adapted to local weather conditions.
• The habitat thus created will get more complex over time and attract much biodiversity.
• Vegetation becomes much denser than conventional plantations, and it has the structure of a mature natural forest.
• It is a multi-storey structure, where different levels of vegetation appear. The forest thus structured delivers many benefits in the form of ecosystem services.

Maze Gardens

• A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the “walls” or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges
• Some of the world’s first garden mazes were built to entertain royalty and they were very popular activities at parties and festivals.
• Ancient mystics used them to force the mind into a calm state. The meandering pathways of a labyrinth are thought to create a new way of connecting to the world.
• Some common plants used to make a maze include shrubs, corn plants (a maize maze), grass or wildflower plantings, sunflowers, hay bales and turf.