The overall green cover in Mumbai city has reduced in last two decades by 40%. During same period, the temperature has increased in areas with fewer trees by up to 4 to 5°C, as compared to the surrounding neighborhoods. This also has health impacts on the citizens with increased heart related deaths, respiratory difficulties and heat strokes.
Mumbai joined the Cities4Forest initiative and has signed the Call to Action for Forests and Climate, which intends to protect, conserve and manage its natural ecosystems.
The intention is to increase the city’s green cover with a scientific approach to identify native species, appropriate locations, planting methods and maintenance over time.
The increasing city’s green cover comes with several co-benefits like; it helps in providing shade and reduce heat stress, it creates better livable environment by increasing open spaces, it enhances local biodiversity and absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With a sensitive and thoughtful planting method along the water bodies and in flood prone areas, it can help reduce the flooding.
Support us by offering an open tract of
land - a scarce resource in a dense city like Mumbai. These land parcels will help add a significant amount of vegetation cover.
If you cannot participate by being on ground, you can support by donating a sapling.
Plant responsibly by selecting native plants and ensuring a diversity of species under expert consultation.
Encourage your friends and family to adopt trees to look after. By nourishing and caring for many such trees, we can ensure their sustained growth.
Engage in the drive more actively by getting your hands dirty. Each tree planted and cared for matters!
Raise awareness and share experiences among residents and explain the dire need for increasing green cover to combat rising temperatures in Mumbai.