The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has decided to conduct the first ever tree census in its jurisdiction. The census will help in enumerating the trees in the region, identifying their species, mapping their location and photographing them.
The survey details will be uploaded on the civic body’s website. It will help curb illegal tree felling and also bring on record the presence of rare trees in the region.
Spread over an area of 110sqkm, PCMC includes regions under erstwhile Panvel Municipal Council, 29 villages, five CIDCO nodes and other areas.
As per 2011 census, the region has a population of five lakh people that includes both urban and rural areas.
Municipal commissioner, Ganesh Deshmukh, said, “While the development of the city is important, it cannot be at the cost of the environment. It is mandatory to have 30% green belt in the city. There are hundreds of very old trees in Panvel and we shall be able to make a proper record of them all. I have, hence, asked for a census of all trees that are over 10 feet tall.”
PCMC has called for tenders from organisations with expertise in environment issues. The census will be completed within a year. The project has been estimated to cost ₹1.50Cr.
Deshmukh added, “Information on how many trees are in private and government areas, ancient trees, etc. will be procured. The census will provide pictures of the tree, the species and other information. The trees will be numbered. This will ensure that the details of the trees will be recorded in real time data. If there is any tree cutting, the tree authority will get information on it immediately. The census will make it easier for us to protect and prevent illegal tree cutting.”