Tree plantation drives not photo ops, must be well thought out: Experts

Panaji: Citizens, activists and institutions — all purportedly with good intentions of greening the degraded environment — are engaging in tree plantation drives by the droves. Botanists and horticulturists, however, are not so enthusiastic about their initiatives taking roots into healthy and beautiful trees.

Smiling from ear to ear and obviously conscious of the camera, the do-gooders are mostly unaware about the size of pit, choice of site, and planting material. If these key scientific issues and post-planting sapling care are not factored in, the drive may turn out to be just another photo shoot, experts say.

“It appears from social media posts that planters are unaware about vital requirements. Saplings planted in pigeon holes may not survive long and plantation drives may just become photo ops,” landscape designer and bonsai artist, Daniel D’Souza, says.

Stressing on the need for the right pit size —1mx1m for tall trees and half of it for shrubs — D’Souza says that digging the right pit may take a few hours and necessitate the use of a stone breaker in hard soil. “If the ground is hard, suitably soft soil may have to be used in the pit for the plant to take roots,” he says.

Ministers and elected representatives are on a plant distribution spree, but no advice on planting is issued. “There is no monitoring later. But it is important that a database is maintained regarding the number of saplings planted, cared for and surviving,” D’Souza explains.

Goa is caught in the vortex of development, but some believe that space is still available for plantations.

“More than 20,000 hectares, including land on highways, plateaux, industrial estates and campuses, is available for systematic community-based plantations of indigenous species,” Nandkumar Kamat, former associate professor of botany at the Goa University, says.