When we discuss rewilding and land restoration, ensuring that native trees are used is equally important. I wasn’t aware of this when I planted Conocarpus trees at home almost 10 years ago. No birds or animals have ever come to the tree.

I also realised much later that these trees aren’t good for humans either. They cause allergic reactions in many people. It’s been so many years now that I feel bad about cutting them down, but maybe I should.

So yeah, using native trees is super important. Next time you see someone planting eucalyptus, conocarpus, or similar non-native species, make sure to stop them.

By the way, NCF and ERA (a Rainmatter Foundation partner) are part of a group that developed a tool called Plantwise-India to help people choose native plants when planting. You can provide your latitude and longitude, and it’ll suggest options based on your location.

Currently, it only operates in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots, but I hope it expands to other regions. It would be great if people everywhere could check what’s actually native to their area before planting anything.

Check out the tool here.

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