It came as a shock to a group of conservationists working in the Western Ghats when they visited the sprawling premises of an IT major in Chennai's suburbs. The manicured lawns looked green, dotted with shrubs and trees. But there was not even a single butterfly fluttering around. A bird’s eye view of the city gives it a verdant appearance, with coconut palms and green oases like the Raj Bhavan and IIT campus. A beautiful greenblue bay adds to the panorama. But a closer look reveals that most of these green areas are actually little more than manicured lawns dotted with shrubs and trees which are exotic, says Arun Shankar of Palni Hills Conservation Council.
Barring their aesthetic appeal, these plants seldom contribute to encouraging biodiversity, he says. The reason cited is that these exotic plants and trees are not part of the same ecosystem which native species of birds, insects and mammals are dependent on. Environmentalists hope such loss of biodiversity due to the spread of exotic flora may emerge as a rallying point in 2010 —the year of biodiversity, as declared by UNESCO and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“It is true that landscaping is done mostly through introduced species. The landscape in multinationals and corporates look attractive but it is of no use from a biodiversity point of view,” says Prof D Narasimhan, reader at the Centre for Floristic Research at Madras Christian College.
“We need to use native trees, shrub nurseries and fill the existing landscape nurseries with indigenous species like Kadambas, Red and Yellow Silk Cottons, Satin wood, Buteas, Amaltas, Bishopwood, Rosewood, Redwoods, Coral Tree, Kino tree, Neem, Terminalia and Ironwood. Native palms, bamboos and wild banana also can be used,” says R Kannan, president of Palni Hills Conservation Council.
The figs, starting from the known varieties — Banyan, Peepal and Glomerata — to lesser known cousins like Icchii; Itthi and Piraya maram are wellsuited for urban gardens. Similarly, there are flowering shrubs like Kattu Karuveppillais and creepers which would serve aesthetics as well as meet the need for household remedies.
Growing biodiverse native species should be mandatory for sprawling academic and industrial complexes and commercial multiplexes, Kannan says emphasizing that growing native species could also make avian fauna and small mammals reappear in the urban environment.
Exotic plants and trees like copper pods and mahogany have aesthetic appeal, but they seldom contribute to encouraging biodiversity in the area. Instead, indigenous species like Kadambas, Red and Yellow Silk Cottons, Satin wood, Buteas, Amaltas, Bishopwood, Rosewood, Redwoods, Coral Tree can be used. Growing native species could bring avian fauna and small mammals dependent on them back into the urban environment. Native flowering shrubs like Kattu Karuveppillais and creepers would have aesthetic appeal and can be used for household remedies.
