vajiraoias

TREES V/S CLIMATE CHANGE: WHY TREE PLANTING ALONE ISN’T ENOUGH? What’s the main issue? Scientists observing trees across India have found that they are behaving differently due to climate change. According to SeasonWatch, a citizen science project that tracks tree behaviour: • Trees are flowering earlier • Trees are leafing earlier • Some species are shifting their geographical range (e.g., moving uphill) This means climate change is affecting not only humans but also the timing, growth, and survival of trees. A FAMILIAR EXAMPLE: THE INDIAN LABURNUM • Known as amaltas/kanikonna, and the State tree of Kerala & Delhi. • Traditionally, it blooms in mid-April. • In recent years, flowers have been blooming weeks earlier. • Result: People struggle to find natural flowers for the festival. Why this matters: • Trees act as seasonal markers for communities — when their cycles change, it signals a shift in the climate Trees as Climate Heroes — But They Have Problems Too • Trees store carbon, so governments and companies promote afforestation (planting more trees) to fight climate change. • But ecologists warn: Poorly planned tree planting can harm ecosystems instead of helping them. KEY PROBLEMS • Wrong species, wrong place . Many plantations use non-native species like eucalyptus, acacia, jacaranda, and gulmohar. o These trees often:  Consume large amounts of water (some eucalyptus species can take 90+ litres per day!)  Change soil chemistry  Reduce native biodiversity • Plantation ≠ forests o Large monoculture plantations store less carbon and support less wildlife than natural, mixed forests. • Water competition between Humans and trees uses the same limited groundwater. o Planting water-heavy species worsens local water shortages. • Carbon storage confusion . When plantation trees are harvested, the stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. o Many commercial plantations (teak, fruit trees, fast-growing exotics) don’t store carbon long-term. INDIA’S AFFORESTATION DRIVE-WHAT’S GOING WRONG? • Examples like Uttar Pradesh’s 220 million trees in a day (2019) sound impressive. • But ecologists say: • Species selection was often inappropriate • Planting was done on grasslands and scrublands, which were wrongly labelled “wastelands” WHY IS THIS HARMFUL? India’s landscape was historically: • 60% grassland, scrubland, or open woodland —not fully forested. When grasslands are covered with trees: • Native animals like the Great Indian Bustard, blackbuck, and butterflies lose their habitat. • Grassland ecosystems collapse. GRASSLANDS V/S FORESTS-WHO STORES MORE CARBON? Surprisingly, grasslands can be better long-term carbon sinks than forests. • Forests store carbon above ground, which is easily lost during fires/droughts. • Grasslands store carbon underground in deep roots — protected even during disturbances. A 2022 Science study: • Grasslands store 34% of Earth's land carbon, much of it stable and long-lasting. But grasslands don’t “look green”, so they are often ignored by policymakers and corporate funders. How is CLIMATE CHANGE stressing TREES? Trees themselves are: • Moving uphill • Changing their density and distribution • Struggling to adapt to new climates • Dying in some regions Like humans, trees depend on: • Healthy soil • Clean water • Biodiverse surroundings • Stable weather conditions When these conditions change, trees struggle to survive THE RIGHT WAY FORWARD Experts say: Planting trees is not wrong — but planting without ecological understanding is harmful. The solution is not more trees, but: • The right species • In the right ecosystem • For the right purpose • With the right local community involvement Why? • Local species support local biodiversity • They need less water • They are adapted to the soil • They maintain ecosystem balance • They store carbon more sustainably Major Gaps • We still lack data on how trees across Indian states respond to climate change. • SeasonWatch’s monitoring is limited due to low participation from northern India.