From environmental campaigns to pilot projects to policy changes, Mumbai’s trees have received significant attention from citizens and offi...
From environmental campaigns to pilot projects to policy changes, Mumbai’s trees have received significant attention from citizens and officials in recent months. The administration has made a spate of encouraging announcements, reflecting a growing understanding of trees as climate solutions and critical green infrastructure that requires care, conservation and investment. But if Mumbai’s residents are to have green cover that will safeguard them against some of the challenges posed by a warming world, this work can’t happen soon enough.
In March, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation mandated that in future it will only plant trees that are native to Mumbai and its surrounding regions. In June, the Maharashtra cabinet approved an amendment to the state’s Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, which applies to urban areas. The amendment recognised special provisions for “heritage trees” older than 50 years and created a state Tree Authority. Next, in July, Mumbai joined the Cities4Forests alliance and the C40 Urban Nature Declaration that focus on nature-based solutions to climate resiliency and healthier, inclusive communities.
There are other hopeful signs in a city where planning and development have traditionally taken place at the expense of nature. Given the city’s serious vulnerability to climate-related threats – a recent assessment found it the...
