Overview

• The Central Empowered Committee submitted a 40-page report describing Conocarpus as ecologically unsuitable and popularly termed a “green desert” that suppresses native vegetation.
• It asked the court to have the environment ministry list the tree as an invasive alien species, launch a mission-mode replacement drive with native species, and restrict nursery and online sales.
• The panel cited aggressive roots that deplete shallow groundwater and damage infrastructure, documenting impacts in Kachchh as well as urban areas such as Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
• Public health concerns include pollen-linked asthma and respiratory allergies, with Tamil Nadu reporting many cases during flowering season, alongside added risks from highly flammable dry wood and allelopathic leaf litter.
• Several states acted earlier with bans or removals—Gujarat in September 2023, Tamil Nadu in January 2025, Telangana program changes, and large-scale felling in Andhra Pradesh—but the committee flagged the absence of a coordinated national mechanism despite existing legal tools.