Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EUCALYPTUS: AN ECOLOGICAL MONSTER FOR PUNJAB

Anupreet Singh Tiwana and Yadwinder Singh

Abstract

Eucalyptus occupies the central place in the area of social forestry in Punjab.The fact that Eucalyptus is one of the most popular trees in social forestry and does not do any good to the Society as it reaps short-term economical benefits at the cost of Punjab's environment. Eucalyptus cultivation has increased manifold especially in the semi arid areas of the state. Its ill effects such as depletion of soil, draining of the water table and an adverse effect on the surrounding flora and fauna, have been conveniently ignored. This paper is an endeavor in the direction of unraveling the myriad issues the agricultural community is faced with vis-a-vis eucalyptus. It also focuses on finding the remedies to the existing problems. In the background lies the ground reality that sustainable agricultural practices have a potential to reduce environmental degradation.