KARACHI: The Karachi University (KU) campus that used to be home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, mostly birds, is gradually losing its attraction as old trees are being cut down, it emerged on Sunday.

Speaking to Dawn, teachers said that though trees had been continuously chopped down over the past few years, the process seemed to have accelerated over the past few weeks.

“A number of old neem and banyan trees have been cut down and we off and on see vehicles loaded with logs going out of the university,” said a senior teacher of the botany department, adding that it appeared the university had contracted some party for the job as the wood was being sold.

He also criticised plantation of conocarpus trees on the campus and said the exotic species was not eco-friendly and also caused seasonal allergies.

Sharing his observations, a zoology department teacher said the campus was a sanctuary for birds especially those that were no longer seen in the city. In recent years, however, there had been a marked decline in their number.
“Though the fast deteriorating environment has forced a number of avian species to leave the city, Karachi University was said to be the only place left in the city where one had the opportunity to see diverse fauna,” he said, regretting that the campus fauna was also under threat now.

Birds were attracted to the KU grounds for their large open green area and the lack of disturbance while the establishment of the botanic gardens had also added to the university’s biodiversity, he pointed out.

According to him, the birds that now are rarely seen on the campus include woodpeckers, parrots, owls and falcons.

An old study conducted at the KU showed a long list of birds found on the campus that included Indian robins, little green bee-eaters, kingfishers, blue-cheeked bee-eaters, which are summer visitors, green pigeons, purple sand birds, blue throats, long-tailed bush warblers, silver bills, Sindh sparrows, red-wattled lapwings, black drongos, Indian rollers, little ring doves and brown doves.

Dr Moazzam Ali Khan, the university registrar who also heads the garden landscape section, argued that only those trees had been cut that had either completed their life or had dried.

“Then, there was a thick growth of Keekar posing a security risk at different places including the university’s boundary wall. Those trees were removed along with the plantation hindering wall repair,” he explained, adding that since he had taken charge of the registrar office, the university had been adorned with extraordinary new plantation.

“The new plantation mainly comprises neem which has been planted in large numbers especially near the IBA institute. The plantation in rows goes up to the Maskan Gate. We took up the task despite having severe water shortage,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2015

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