Dr Rashneh Pardiwala’s endeavor to afforest the Doongerwadi hillock with indigenous trees is praiseworthy ("The last green lung,” Parsiana, February 7-20, 2021). Historical records show that at one time in the past the well wooded area sheltered carnivorous
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big cats that came down to the Gowalia tank to drink water after sunset. A few years ago, at the behest of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, Prof C. S. Lattoo of the Institute of Science had prepared a catalog of plants existing within the Doongerwadi perimeter. This list would show how many species of trees and shrubs of the original forest are still surviving there.
It is unfortunate that a normally "well behaved” species, Gliricidia, has played havoc on this hill. Whereas preference should be given to native species, exotics too have their place in gardens and parks which they beautify. The worst case of exotics replacing indigenous flora comes from Tamil Nadu. The natural vegetation thicket was ruthlessly felled as there were no timber trees inside and replaced with exotic fast growing Australian wattle and Eucalyptus. The original biodiversity, including species of economic and medicinal importance, was lost.
On the other hand there are exotics that serve a useful purpose when planted in the right places. An example is of Australian Acacia holosericea. Planted over the sterile, barren, lateritic soil of Pondicherry, it gave good results as a firewood yielding species. Moreover, its seeds are edible and were a source of food in certain African countries during times of famine.
Much maligned is the case of the exotic Prosopis juliflora from tropical America. So aggressive is the species that it spreads like wild fire, eliminating the native flora and invading all available space. Due to these tendencies, the species has gained the vernacular name "Gando (mad) bawal.” Bawal is a useful native tree. Its wood has good calorific value and is used as kathi wood in our fire temples.
On the positive side, the exotic Prosopis, renowned for its nuisance value, has served a useful purpose in the semi-arid districts of Tamil Nadu where not only is it a source of fuel wood, but also of income.