Standing tall, proud and glorious in the sun, it is hard to believe that the magnificent eucalyptus has a sinister side, silently depleting groundwater resources and disrupting ecological balance.

With Seemai Karuvelam trees at the centre of public outrage, the eucalyptus escaped in its shadow, although the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court ordered the government to get rid of exotic species like wattle, eucalyptus and focus on restoring Shola grasslands.

While Seemai Karuvelam was widely accused of being aggressive invaders of natural vegetation, experts say effects of indiscriminate eucalyptus plantation could be worse. “I don’t see why Seemai Karuvelam is drawing flak, when the eucalyptus is being promoted as an industrial species. Both have terrible effects on the ecosystem,” said D Narasimhan, head of Botany department at Madras Christian College....................Read more

Source: The New Indian Express