Widely visible across the state – from the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad to the Ram Van “urban forest” in Rajkot, rows of Conocarpus trees, an exotic mangrove species, had been a popular choice for increasing the green cover in Gujarat in recent years.
But, the state government has now banned its “plantation in forest or non-forest area”, underlining its “adverse impacts on environment and human health”.
Earlier, Telangana too had banned the same plant species.
KnowALLedge Plus
> Trees of this species flower in winter and spread pollen in nearby areas. This is causing diseases like cold, cough, asthma, allergy.
> Their roots go deep inside the soil and develop extensively, damaging telecommunication lines, drainage lines and freshwater systems
> In 2018 Delhi decided to clear the Vilayati Kikar – a tree not native to Delhi (was brought to the city in the 1930s by the British). As it grew fast even in arid conditions, it kills off native trees like acacia, dhak, kadamb, amaltas, flame-of-the-forest, etc. which in turn is depleting the fauna — birds, butterflies, leopards, porcupines and jackals. In 2016, the Madras High Court too passed an interim order for the removal of these trees as they were depleting the water table.
> In Kerala’s Munnar, another British introduced tree, Eucalyptus, was stopped from being cultivated in forest tracts in 2018 after a study found that foreign invasive plants had reduced the availability of fodder in forests, forcing animals to foray into settlements and farmlands.