From mint · Tarang Mohnot · · 1m 40s
Can compensatory afforestation really replace a forest?
Mumbai's tree planting drives often fail to replace lost forests, with survival rates as low as 50%.
In brief
Mumbai's tree planting drives often fail to replace lost forests, with survival rates as low as 50%. Compensatory afforestation in Mumbai has low survival rates due to poor soil, water scarcity, and inadequate maintenance. Originally reported by mint.
Mumbai's tree planting drives
Mumbai's municipal corporations and government agencies regularly announce tree planting drives with ambitious targets.
Supreme Court observation
The Supreme Court observed that only about half of the more than 20,000 trees planted for the Mumbai Metro survived.
Compensatory afforestation framework
India's compensatory afforestation framework requires planting more trees to offset those felled for infrastructure projects.
Conservationist critique
Vanashakti founder Stalin Dayanand says compensatory afforestation is a namesake process that takes away ecological benefits.
Ecological restoration challenges
Native seeds must be sourced, germinated, and raised for years before saplings reach maturity.
Mumbai Metro survival issue
Poor soil quality, water scarcity, and inadequate maintenance caused low survival rates for Mumbai Metro trees.
Bhayandar mangrove problem
Mangroves planted for the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road showed high mortality due to incorrect species and poor fencing.
Land degradation concerns
Authorities claim degraded land is available for plantations, but land degradation itself is often unaddressed.
Ecological restoration complexity
Restoring ecosystems requires addressing root causes like invasive species, water flows, and fire risks before planting trees.
Miyawaki plantations
Japanese-style Miyawaki plantations grow dense forests quickly but may not support biodiversity in water-scarce areas.
Political challenges
Protecting existing forests faces political resistance and requires sustained public investment.
What happens next
Compensatory afforestation fails to replace lost forests due to ecological complexity and political barriers.
The one thing
Compensatory afforestation in Mumbai has low survival rates due to poor soil, water scarcity, and inadequate maintenance.
