In order to restore and protect the green cover in Madurai, a city or urban forest similar to that of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai and Guindy National Park in Chennai should be set up in the city, said ornithologist T. Badri Narayan.
Vellimalai in Madurai is one area where such a project can be set up, he said at a webinar on ‘Restoration of natural heritage of Madurai’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Young Indians, its wing, here on Saturday. Dr. Badri Narayan said that if the native trees were to be protected, they should be identified first. A board with the name of the species should be placed to show the identityof the tree. People who take care of native trees should be honoured and encouraged to continue the practice, he said.
A law on tree preservation should be enacted in Tamil Nadu on the lines of the one in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, he said.
N. Karthikeyan Parkavithai, a researcher on native plants in Sangam literature, also stressed that native trees should be identified and protected.