Expanding urban areas have naturally led to shrinking of the country’s green cover. While the required forest cover is 33 per cent of the total land area, only 24 per cent was classified as forest cover by the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015. Apart from rapidly declining forest areas, cities are losing their trees too. India’s garden city, Bengaluru, is rapidly becoming un-liveable due to its unplanned urban expansion and consequent loss of trees as well as lakes. According to a study, between 1999 and 2014, urban land use in the city had increased by 184 per cent, while vegetation had decreased from 45 per cent to a mere 8.4 per cent. The water bodies also diminished to a mere 0.74 per cent - a drastic reduction of 85 per cent. Other cities too have a similar story; a 2016 study by Indian Institute of Science indicates a desperate situation for the four cities that were studied:

Kolkata’s tree cover fell from 23.4 per cent to 7.3 per cent over 20 years; built-up area rose up 190 per cent. By 2030, vegetation will be 3.37 per cent of Kolkata’s area.

Ahmedabad’s tree cover fell from 46 per cent to 24 per cent over 20 years; built-up area climbed up up 132 per cent. By 2030, vegetation will be 3 per cent of Ahmedabad’s area.

Bhopal’s tree cover fell from 66 per cent to 22 per cent over 22 years. By 2018, it will be 11 per cent of city’s area.

Hyderabad’s tree cover fell from 2.71 per cent to 1.66 per cent over 20 years. By 2024, it will be 1.84 per cent of city’s area.

So what can be done to save our cities? One can hardly argue against urban expansion. What is needed is an innovative approach to integrate urban expansion and planning with ecological planning. Urban forestry is not a new concept, but it is one which appears to have growing potential. It can be defined as “an integrated, city wide approach to the planting, care and management of trees in the city to secure multiple environmental and social benefits for urban dwellers”. Urban forestry is an important factor in the cities’ environmental enhancement, control of air and noise pollution, microclimatic modification and recreational purposes of the urban population.

While Indian urban planning still treats vegetation cover as an afterthought and not as an integral part of city planning, cities across the world are welcoming the idea with open arms, with some of them taking the idea to the next level and creating vertical forests - high-rise buildings covered with trees and plants. These ‘forests’ not only absorb carbon dioxide, filter dust from pollution and produce oxygen but are also an ingenious way of planting more trees and creating habitats for wildlife in cities that are squeezed for space. While Milan was the first one to have one, China is set to get its first vertical forest in Nanjing in 2018.