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Toxic, non-native mangrove
shrubs being planted in large numbers

Experts warn the button mangrove tree could
cause severe allergies

Monday, February 09, 2009
By M.
Waqar Bhatti

Karachi

The City District Government
Karachi (CDGK) is liberally planting a toxic mangrove plant,
Conocarpus Erectus, which contains compounds that are hazardous to
health and can cause damage to the environment of the city, The News
has learnt.

Several botanists, while talking to The News,
expressed their reservation with regard to the plantation of these
button mangrove trees (as they are commonly known) on the main
arteries of the city.

They said it was an “unwise decision”
taken by the Parks and Horticulture Department,
CDGK.

However, the Executive Director Parks and Horticulture
of CDGK, Liaquat Ali Khan defended the decision to plant the
Conocarpus Erectus, saying that it grows faster, especially in a
city like Karachi, and does not need water after four-five
months.

“We are going to plant it on the main arteries like
Sharae Faisal, University road, Rashid Minhas road, Sharae Pakistan,
8000 Road and so far, it has yielded very positive results” he told
The News.

Liaquat Ali said the reason for choosing the
button mangrove tree was its rapid growth along with its ability to
dispel animals. Also, it would make the city greener within a few
months’ time.

But Dr Muhammad Qaiser, Vice Chancellor of the
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST)
said the mangrove tree in question is not a native plant and is
unsuitable for cities like Karachi.

“There are reports that
it causes allergies,” he said, adding that no research was being
done on it in the city’s universities.

Dr Qaiser said that
instead of bringing plants from other countries that can be harmful
to the environment, the authorities should pay attention to native
varieties and rehabilitate them.

Should be kept in quarantine
“Plants such as the Conocarpus Erectus should have been kept in
quarantine and studied thoroughly before their cultivation,” he
suggested.

Citing the example of the Paper Mulberry tree in
Islamabad, Dr Qaiser said that the plant was not an indigenous to
the region, so when planted it started causing allergies. Now, the
authorities are trying to get rid of it.

The Chairperson of
Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Dr Surayya Khatoon,
said the CDGK should have consulted experts before going ahead with
the plantation. “Even though botanists/scientists have drawn
attention towards its health hazards, the button mangrove tree
plantation is in full swing,” she added.

“The Conocarpus
Erectus is known for spreading pollen in the air like Paper
Mulberry. There are studies which show that it can cause severe
respiratory tract diseases and allergic reactions in humans” Dr
Surayya pointed out.

There are several problems associated
with this specie of mangrove tree. “It produces several toxic
compounds and has the tendency to destroy local vegetation, thus
causing environmental imbalance,” Dr Surayya explained.

Dr
Ajmal Khan, a senior professor and Director of Institute of
Sustainable Halophyte Utilisation, KU, said that the Conocarpus
Erectus has been brought in from India without being properly
studied. He cited the example of the Prosopis Juliflora (native to
the US), a shrub widely found in Sindh and Balochistan, whose seeds
were sprayed all over the region during the Ayub Khan era without
carrying out a study it. Commonly known as babool, “this shrub has
become a nuisance as all efforts to get rid of it have failed
despite launching campaigns. The same is the case with Paper
Mulberry,” he explained. Dr Khan said the focus should be on Neem,
Amaltas (Cassia Fistula) and others that are indigenous to the
country. He maintained that these non-native plants are the reason
for the elimination of so many indigenous plants. “The massive
plantation of Eucalyptus is an example in this regard. It was
brought from Australia but proved to be a failure in Pakistan,” he
added.

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