HYDERABAD: In a citizen-led conservation initiative, residents have geo-tagged and mapped 672 trees on road medians surrounding KBR National Park, creating a publicly accessible database to strengthen protection of the city’s urban green cover.
The exercise followed the Supreme Court’s May 18 stay order halting further tree felling in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the park.
The order came after a petition filed by environmental conservationist Kaajal Maheshwari alleging continued tree cutting despite an earlier stay.
The survey was led by development consultant Natasha Ramarathnam and carried out over three days with the help of 15 volunteers. Each tree was assigned a unique identification number, geo-tagged using GPS coordinates, identified by species and plotted on a detailed map.
According to the survey, 672 trees, including several mature specimens and native species, were documented. “This is about creating accountability. Once trees are scientifically mapped and enumerated, monitoring and protecting them becomes far more effective,” Natasha said.
Asiya Khan, who assisted in species identification, said the survey disproved claims that the median plantations were recent and consisted of only one species.
The geo-tagged map has been placed in the public domain to improve transparency and aid future conservation efforts.