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‘Mass planting of exotic trees in Nilgiris harmful’
Why in news?
- A Coonoor-based trust proposes to plant more than 10,000 trees in the Nilgiris — almost all of them exotic flora — from avenue trees such as jacaranda and podocarpus, to pine and bottlebrush.
More in news
- Exotic Flora is environmentally unfriendly due to long term impact:
(1) Impact Soil Chemistry: Exotic trees have a huge impact on soil chemistry on the ground, preventing native grass, plants and herbs from taking root underneath the canopy.
(2) Impact on Wildlife: It has a knock-on effect on wildlife, which leads them into vacating the areas.
(3) High water demand:
(a) When exotics take root, they increase the water demand in that region, impacting not just the Nilgiris but other districts further downstream that rely on rivers emanating from the hills.
(b) Only native grasses should be grown in what were previously grasslands, or Shola trees should be grown where they existed previously.
Sources
The Hindu