Trees still grow in Aarey!

Do we need to teach educated humans the value of trees Seems like we do at least to the city planners developers and those hungry to strip the Earth of its green cover that has been laid out systematically over centuries of meticulous ecological planningThe Aarey Milk Colony AMC has been famous as a green belt for Mumbaikars and is a buffer zone to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and harbours similar species and in fact some unique ones too A recent decision to construct a Metro yard on a 70acre grasslandwoodland patch which also has several perennial streams with fish frogs and water beetles flowing through it mdash has raised the anxiety of concerned citizens and environmentalistsThe proposed Metro III yard site in Aarey Colony comprises both woodland and grasslandOn a recent Nature trail to Aarey Colony actually on the exact spot where the Metro III yard has been proposed where destruction is rampant due to the lsquoNo Wildlife Existsrsquo verdict given by RITES Ltd mdash we found nearly 30 species of trees in less than an hourThere are many exotics such as the Rain tree Copperpod Baobab or Gulmohar lining the streets in Aarey several are 7080 years old not only do they support orchids climbers and have heritage value they also hold the soil and shade us from the onslaught of the scorching sun If aesthetics and history donrsquot seem to count then surely indigenous trees with fruit food medicinal and ecological value will Lined across one end of the yard are halfadozen Double coconut trees found in the Western Ghats and northeast India that have grown to a towering 7080 ft and many of which harbour nests of Kites and crows The minute you step off the road you will encounter a huge diversity of trees viz Mango Peepul Jamun Mahua Ghost tree Toddy Palm Red Silk Cotton Flame of the forest Kachnar Umbar Banyan Ber Ain Bhend Haldu Kalamb Behda Teak Tamarind Kusum AmaltashIndian Laburnum Karanj Shisham or Rosewood Shirish Gunda KhirniHere are a few with their specialities Mango Mangifera indica is currently in blossom and are ready to fruit in the coming months It is the national fruit of India Pakistan the Phillipines and the national tree of Bangladesh It is also the state tree of Gujarat and Maharashtra A mango orchard reduces noise and air pollution provides fragrance and is home to many migratory birds such as warblers and flycatchers as well as butterflies while skinks tend to forage among its dry leavesPeepul or Sacred Fig or the Bodhi tree Ficus religiousa is famed as the tree under which Gautam Buddha attained Nirvana enlightenment and is worshipped in many religions Peepul also provides food during late winters and summers and is thronged by Hornbills barbets squirrels parakeets and they may house owls bat colonies and honeycombs The plant is known to sequester a high quantity of carbon and hence important in climate and temperature controlJamun Syzygium cumini is an evergreen tree with astringent fruits that literally weigh the branches down The fruits have antidiabetic properties and can control blood sugar and glucosuria besides the leaves and bark used against gingivitis The fruits are made into a vinegar and wine and are a rich source of Vitamins A and C They are excellent in controlling soil erosion and for carbon sequestrationMahua Madhuca longifolia is famous for the liquor produced from its pulpy fruits which are consumed in profusion by animals right from bats monkeys civets to even elephants The plant is used by tribals to manufacture soap vegetable fat and fuel oil besides use in construction The leaves are economically important for rearing Tussar Silk caterpillars It is the state tree of TelanganaGhost tree Sterculia urens is one of the few trees that can grow right among the rocky cracks of volcanic plateaus and attract birds and bats to its itchy pulpy fruits and its seeds are roasted and eaten Scores of beetles live under its flakes and the bark exudes a thick gum that is used a as fixative in dentures or even as a laxative or thickener in medicines and cosmeticsRed Silk Cotton Bombax ceiba or Semal attracts large flocks of birds langurs squirrels and bees to its pulpy red flowers and even a single tree is the hub of daylong activity making it an ecologically important species Rosy and Chestnuttailed Starlings Black and Rackettailed Drongos Tree Pies Barbets and Jungle Crows feed on the nectar of the flowersWith such a wide diversity how can we simply destroy it all and lose the value and ecological services provided and label that developmentThe writer is an ecologist and founder director of SPROUTS Environment Trust a conservation awareness amp research organisation