Botanists insist on planting native species, instead of administrators’ preference for fast-growing trees

xVisakhapatnam : Cyclone Montha has once again exposed the fragile state of green cover in north Andhra Pradesh. Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 and Cyclone Titli in 2018 had widely destroyed trees in both urban and rural areas of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Anakapalli districts.

As per the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), the city had lost around 150 trees and shrubs wholly or partially across 80 locations till October 2, 2025. By October 28, another 134 trees fell, of which 111 of them have been removed.

Botanists and environmentalists have long warned that the north Andhra region’s trees have struggled to recover from repeated cyclonic events. According

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