Karachi’s green cover has dropped to less than 2 percent as authorities continue a phased drive to remove conocarpus trees and replace them with native species. While the policy was introduced to phase out a tree widely blamed for damaging urban infrastructure, concerns have emerged that the campaign has also led to the cutting of other valuable trees, including species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being at risk of extinction.

Karachi’s green cover has dropped to less than 2 percent as authorities continue a phased drive to remove conocarpus trees and replace them with native species.

While the policy was introduced to phase out a tree widely blamed for damaging urban infrastructure, concerns have emerged that the campaign has also led to the cutting of other valuable trees, including species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being at risk of extinction.

Environmentalists say the city is steadily losing its natural identity. They warn that the disappearance of mature trees is contributing to harsher weather, rising temperatures, and a more hostile urban environment.

Concerns have also been raised over tree-cutting in Sakhi Hassan graveyard, where residents say nesting spaces for birds have quietly disappeared during the wider removal campaign. Although officials say the operation is focused on conocarpus, critics claim lignum vitae trees have also been cut.

A spokesperson for the Sindh government said conocarpus was introduced in Karachi around 20 years ago and did not deliver meaningful environmental benefits, according to a 2021 report.

Authorities say the policy is based on replacement, with every tree removed to be matched by a new plantation.

However, horticulture experts have questioned the loss of rare species during the exercise. A representative of the Horticultural Society of Pakistan said it was painful to see lignum trees being cut, especially when they are considered threatened and play an important role in improving the environment.

Urban planners and environmental observers say Karachi is increasingly turning into a concrete-heavy city where footpaths, bus stops, and public spaces are losing greenery and natural cooling.

In many places, they say, trees that once spread roots into open ground are now being reduced to decorative plants confined to pots.

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