NGO Environment India and The Importance of Trees For Cities
The quality of life in cities is enhanced by a sufficient amount of green cover and different types of green built environment by NGO environment India, such as nature-based solutions (NbS). Natural climate solutions are predicted to contribute 37% of the mitigation needed to meet global climate objectives if they are mobilised over the course of the next ten to fifteen years in conjunction with a decrease in emissions from fossil fuels.
One of the few surviving urban forests in Delhi, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, comes to mind when someone wants to get away from the intense summer heat or spend a winter afternoon in the sun. The people who live in Mangalavanam in Kochi or Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar feel the same way. In addition to serving as places for fostering community, trees, parks, and urban forests are crucial for cities because they provide a variety of ecological advantages, including increased water security, biodiversity, resident health, and well-being, as well as resistance against climate change.
Urban forests are any area of trees and plants found in an urban environment, including those found in yards, along roadways and utility corridors, in protected areas, and in watersheds. This covers individual trees, street trees, tree-filled green areas, and even the understory vegetation and plants that go with the trees. Urban vegetation and other blue-green infrastructure contribute to the enhancement of urban resilience, the assurance of sustainability, and the mitigation of climate hazards such as heat islands and urban floods in cities. They are also crucial in the establishment of green places for enjoyment, the mitigation of dust pollution, the reduction of noise, the creation of green employment, and the preservation of topsoil.
The Indian federal government has been attempting to increase the amount of green space in Indian cities for the past ten years. However, planting trees is still viewed as an expenditure rather than a benefit. Urban forestry’s success criteria are centred more on planting than on care, and financing is typically insufficient since trees’ financial benefits are mostly measured in terms of material revenue rather than returns in the form of ecosystem services. These obstacles keep towns from mobilising the public funds and support needed to expand their urban woods.
The 2020 Urban Forest initiative, which aims to establish Nagar Vans, or Urban Forests, encourages towns to add more green space. There are additional examples of group efforts towards this goal in places like Kochi, Delhi, Chennai, Gurugram, and Gurugram. However, significant conservation, advocacy, and the expansion of green space still need focused, ongoing work. In order for trees and forests to flourish and make our cities more habitable for everyone, we have identified three crucial actions:
- Interacting with local leaders and communities: Although this is sometimes disregarded, it is one of the most important components for the survival of any on-the-ground initiative by NGO environment India. Neighbourhood stakeholders require ongoing encouragement and reassurances regarding the advantages of urban forests. Additionally, it is important to make sure that local champions, residents, and community leaders are involved in the co-design and development of the space so that the final product is based on what the neighbourhoods need.
- Embracing action via institutional partnerships: As seedlings must acclimatise to the surrounding climate, pollution, and biodiversity, aided tree planting in urban locations demands attention. Institutional collaborations can be crucial in enabling this. For instance, we were able to help the city of Kochi successfully plan a partnership with the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) of Kerala and make use of the Ayyankali Mission—an urban employment mission for unskilled laborers—to ensure the upkeep of four neighbourhood greening sites over the course of three years thanks to our persistent efforts under the NGO environment India global initiative. The use of local labourers to maintain the Kawaki sites, particularly women labourers and members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), indicates a notable shift in the urban local body’s approach to resilience-building and inclusive climate action planning.
- Ensuring and empowering the future generation: We can guarantee improved living conditions, ecological balance, and long-term readiness for climate dangers by taking action now. One strategy to keep this equilibrium is to support urban forests, which is crucial for our future. In addition to ensuring the preservation and upkeep of these urban forests, educating kids and young people about the value of trees will facilitate the shift to green jobs.
We need to work together to rethink the function of trees in our cities—not just as aesthetic enhancements, but also as active contributors to a better quality of urban life. There’s also a chance to investigate the potential health benefits of urban woods. However, this means utilising a range of restoration methods, establishing urban forests, improving forest management on working lands, and protecting urban green areas from conversion.
The conservation industry has to acknowledge and highlight the advantages of funding forest protection, management, and restoration as a key strategy for returning our planet to its natural state in order to better include the significance of trees in our lives.
As we reflect, let’s keep in mind that “we invest in our planet” for a better tomorrow with the help of NGO environment India like Search NGO and it requires intense cooperation, a common vision, and action from a variety of stakeholders. Such cooperative activity, when combined with the suggestions covered in this blog, can help build healthier and more resilient cities for our future generations.
