How Not to Restore a Forest: The Ecological Mismanagement of Delhi's Central Ridge

Gist The Delhi Forest Department, guided by the Forest Research Institute, has bulldozed over 200 hectares of the Central Ridge to eradicate the invasive vilayati keekar tree. However, instead of scientifically restoring the native arid landscape, authorities are planting high-density, water-intensive trees and converting the forest into artificial municipal-style parks. Aspirants must understand this development as it highlights a critical flaw in India's urban forestry model, where unscientific afforestation destroys local soil ecology, depletes water resources, and threatens to exacerbate winter air pollution. Background The Delhi Ridge is a northern extension of the Aravalli Range, naturally characterized by dry, rocky soil and arid-adapted scrub flora. In the 1920s , British horticulturist William Mustoe introduced vilayati keekar , a hardy tree from the Americas, because other planted species failed to survive without irrigation. This alien species thrived, wiped out native vegetation, and came to dominate the Ridge's ecosystem. Currently, the Delhi Forest Department is undertaking a project to remove this invasive species and "restore" the forest, based on an afforestation plan prescribed by the Forest Research Institute FRI . The distinction…