Surat (Gujarat) : The Nature Club Surat (NCS), a non-profit organisation based in Surat that works to protect the local environment and rescue birds and other animals, has been tireless in its efforts to preserve a 500-year-old African Baobab tree in the Adajan neighbourhood.
Originally, the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) intended to build metro rail pillars through the Adajan region, greatly endangering this ancient tree. Six pivotal meetings and continuous pleas from NCS and locals eventually led to a game-changing decision, however.
In order to protect the majestic Baobab tree, GMRC officials have pledged to raise the metro rail supports by 1.5 metres above the original design. To make room for the metro rail construction, a limb of the tree had to be carefully chopped, but not in a way that would harm the parakeet family who had made their home in the tree.
Rapid progress has been made on the pillar building for the current 19-kilometer-long metro rail project in phase 1, linking Saroli to Bhesan. This change in the project’s plans to save the Baobab tree demonstrates the need of natural heritage preservation in tandem with infrastructural development.
NCS volunteers and tree huggers in Adajan and Pal have been fighting for months to protect the African Baobab. Residents even vowed to protest the GMRC if the tree was cut down.
Adansonia digitata, more often known as the African baobab tree, is a botanical miracle and a powerful symbol of the perseverance and adaptability of nature. These legendary trees may survive for thousands of years, earning them the nickname “Tree of Life” because of its invaluable role in providing food, shelter, and even water to people and animals in dry parts of Africa. Baobab trees are iconic in African art and culture due to its huge trunks, twisted branches, and otherworldly aspect. Amazingly versatile and playing crucial roles in the ecosystems they inhabit, these ancient giants never cease to awe and amaze people throughout the globe.
Snehal Patel of NCS thanked the GMRC authorities and local residents who helped save the tree. He said, “This may be the first time that a Metro rail track will be raised at enormous expense to save a Heritage Tree in Surat.” . Dr. Pareshbhai, Pratikbhai, and the rest of the hardworking folks at Nature Club Surat deserve all the credit in the world for making this happen.
In Adajan, a road expansion project threatened an African Baobab tree that had been protected by NCS volunteers and the local community 17 years earlier. The significance of environmental awareness and collective action in preserving natural resources for future generations is shown by this recent success story.
