From Lantana to Living Soil
WildCarbon works across the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR)2026-09-01T18:30:00Z spanning Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. NBR is home to Asian elephants and is a vital tiger corridor. The Shola Trust in partnership with WildCarbon aims to turn one of India’s most damaging invasive species, Lantana camara, into a tool for ecological and economic renewal.
What is the problem we are dealing with?
Lantana camara, henceforth called Lantana, was introduced by the British in the 1800’s, now forms dense, thorny thickets that choke forest floors, starves native herbivores, and pushes wildlife into human settlements. Cutting it only makes it grow back stronger, and its berries spread seeds far and wide.
What Solutions are we looking at to help solve this problem?
Rather than bulldozing (which compacts soil and disturbs dormant invasive seed banks), The Shola Trust uses two low-impact methods based on density: 1. Manual removal (low density) which involves cutting the root-stock 2–3 inches below the soil for smaller plants, and 2. Mechanical removal (medium-high density) which is a winch-based system for larger infestations. Here, a tractor stays parked in one spot while cables uproot lantana across a 50–80 metre radius, with minimal damage to the topsoil. This technique helps remove Lantana at scale.
What happens to the Lantana once removed?
Harvested biomass is transported to WildCarbon’s factory in Begur and converted into biochar through low-oxygen pyrolysis, sequestering roughly 1.6 tonnes of CO₂e per tonne of biochar produced, versus charcoal which simply returns carbon to the atmosphere. This biochar is sold to farmer collaborators as a soil amendment, cutting their need for chemical fertilizer and helping crops survive drought.
Cleared ground is vulnerable to secondary invasions, so restoration doesn’t stop at removal. The Shola Trust replants native grass species sourced from a nursery now scaling to 3–4 million seedlings a year, to rebuild the grassy understory that shelters birds, feeds herbivores, and out-competes future invasives.
Revenue from biochar and carbon credits self-funds ongoing removal cycles. Community-managed teams partly (26%) indigenous-owned carry out the work. By 2030, The Shola Trust in partnership with WildCarbon aims to generate 52,000+ tonnes of verified carbon removal and over 1,050 sustainable livelihoods.