India needs stable urban forests

The Threat of Urban Forests

• Telangana government’s decision to give away 400 acres of land for industrial development threatened the extinction of Kancha Gachibowli, one of Hyderabad’s last remaining urban forests.

• The Supreme Court reprimanded the State government for the felling of 100 acres of trees, highlighting the vulnerability of urban forests and environmentally insensitive urban development models.

The Importance of Urban Forests

• Urban forests are crucial for healthy urban living and help mitigate climate change, reduce urban heat island effect, control stormwater runoff, erosion, and flooding.

• They also sequester carbon and absorb pollutants, ensuring the longevity and survival of endangered birds and animals.

Severe Consequences of Urban Forest Depletion

• The Central Pollution Control Board reported alarming levels of air quality index (AQI) in Delhi in November 2024, primarily due to PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollutants.

• Urban forests can serve as a safeguard against toxic urban air, with one hectare of trees removing around one ton of air pollutants.

Judicial Interventions and Urban Forests

• Urban forests have been featured in policies, missions, and judicial interventions in India.

• The National Forest Policy of 1988 and the National Mission for Green India of 2014 underlined the imperative of increasing afforestation and social forestry.

• Judicial interventions play important roles in promoting and protecting urban forests, as seen in the Godavarman case in 1996 and the Delhi High Court’s directive to protect the Delhi Ridge.

The Nagar Van Yojana and Urban Forests

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) of the Government of India rolled out the Nagar Van Yojana (urban forest scheme) in 2020 to promote and grow forest spaces in urban areas.

• The scheme has resulted in an increase of 1445.81 km of tree and forest cover.

The Threat to Urban Forests

• Rapidly urbanizing India grapples with the consequences of abysmal regard for environmental conservation and sustainability.

• The threat to urban forests is a challenge to our biomedical, social, and cultural well-being.