Bengaluru: After successfully planting 10 crore saplings over the last two monsoons, the state govt has scaled down its ambitious afforestation target this year, citing a shortage of quality planting stock in forest nurseries, even as it continues to push for promising survival rates and greater accountability in statewide plantation drives.Amid concerns over declining green cover across Karnataka, the govt, two years ago, set a goal of planting five crore saplings annually as part of a broader plan to raise 25 crore saplings by 2028. The annual target was achieved in the first two years through large-scale drives carried out during successive monsoons with support from institutions, NGOs and volunteers. However, this year, the govt has reduced the target to 3 crore saplings, acknowledging constraints in nursery capacity and seedling availability.Forest minister Eshwar Khandre, speaking at a workshop on heatwave preparedness in Bengaluru last week, said the decision was driven by practical challenges on the ground. “We have been planting five crore saplings over the past two years. But this year, we have decided to reduce the number to 3 crore saplings,” he said, adding that the focus would remain on ensuring better survival and growth rather than merely meeting numerical targets.Officials attribute the shortfall primarily to the depletion of nursery stock. According to forest department sources, most of the surplus saplings available in nurseries were exhausted during the initial two years of intensive planting. Raising fresh, high-quality seedlings requires time, with the officials indicating it could take one to two years to replenish stocks adequately. In some instances, particularly in parts of the Kalyana Karnataka region last year, the department even sourced plants from Rajahmundry in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to meet targets.The govt is recalibrating its strategy. “There is a renewed emphasis on planting taller and more robust saplings, which are believed to have a higher chance of survival, particularly in challenging climatic conditions,” Khandre pointed out.Referring to survival rates, the minister said official estimates place them between 80% and 85%. “I would not admit these figures. But even if you reduce this percentage by another 10%, our saplings’ success rate is definitely at around 70-75%. In urban areas like Bengaluru, the survival rate has been above 90%, and we have been mulling taking up planting of 10 crore saplings in Bengaluru alone to address the intense heatwave conditions that all of us are facing,” he explained.—–—
