1.9L trees planted along Delhi–Doon e-way as compensatory afforestation: Min

DEHRADUN: Around 1.95 lakh trees have been planted along the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway as part of compensatory afforestation, said Uttarakhand forest minister Subodh Uniyal on Monday, describing the project as a model of environmental conservation and sustainable development.Addressing a press conference a day ahead of the proposed inauguration of the expressway by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uniyal said afforestation has been carried out extensively across Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. “As part of this project, compensatory afforestation has been undertaken in 165.5 hectares of land in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, with approximately 1.95 lakh trees planted. Additionally, under the directions of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee, various eco-restoration works are being carried out with an additional fund of Rs 40 crore for forest and wildlife conservation,” he said. He said the project features one of Asia’s longest elevated wildlife corridors, stretching around 12 km, designed to ensure safe animal movement. “It has been specifically designed to ensure safe movement of wildlife, including elephant underpasses and other crossings to facilitate uninterrupted movement,” Uniyal said.The elevated corridor is expected to reduce human-wildlife conflict and enable better genetic exchange among species, which is vital for biodiversity conservation, he said.The minister said the project is also expected to have environmental benefits, including a reduction of 2.44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years—equivalent to the carbon sequestration of about 6 to 6.5 million trees. He added that it would also lead to a 19% saving in fuel consumption.However, raising concerns, Himanshi Dwivedi, a forestry researcher based in Dehradun, said the long-term ecological impact remains uncertain. “Afforested trees may or may not develop in an ecosystem capable of sustaining wildlife, and that will only become clear in the coming years. In the context of climate change, every tree that is felled is a loss to nature and to the landscape,” she said.