Semal trees are being wiped out in Rajasthan due to Udaipur’s Holi

Sub: Environment

Sec: Places in news

Context:

Holika Dahan in Udaipur: The bonfire traditionally uses a semal tree (silk cotton tree or Bombax ceiba L.) as its central pillar. This tree is significant not only for its use during Holi but also for its ecological and medicinal value.

About Semel Tree (silk cotton tree or Bombax ceiba L.):

Commonly known as Cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree, red silk-cotton, red cotton tree, or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok.
This Asian tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage.
The tree is widely planted in southeastern Asian countries and regions (such as Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, southern China and Taiwan, etc.).

Ecological Importance of Semal Tree:

The semal tree supports various wildlife species including rock bees, the golden-crowned sparrow, and Hanuman langurs, among others. It is described as a “one-tree wildlife sanctuary”.
Various tribal communities value the semal for its resources—food, fodder, and materials for crafting instruments and utensils.
- Members of tribal communities consume the tree’s reddish root for food during the monsoons.
- Larvae of the moth Bucculatrix crateracma feed on its leaves.
- The golden-crowned sparrow weaves the lining of its nests with white cotton from its seeds.
- The Dysdercus bugs, the Indian crested porcupine, Hanuman langurs, and some other species feast on the nectar in its flowers.

Conservation Challenges

Annually, around 1,500-2,000 semal trees or branches are cut and used for Holika Dahan festivities in Udaipur, despite legal protections under various forest acts.
The once-common crimson flower of the semal is now rarely seen, signalling a decline in its population due to extensive cutting.
Tribal members involved in cutting semal trees see it as an economic opportunity, given the low effort and cost of harvesting wild trees compared to cultivated crops.
The demand from urban areas, particularly for large Holika Dahan events, drives the cutting of semal trees.
Little formal documentation or research since a 2009 study.

Efforts and Initiatives for Conservation

Semal Conservation Mission: Initiated in 2008 by Dr Vartika Jain, this group comprises various professionals aiming to raise awareness about the semal tree’s importance and encourage alternative practices for Holika Dahan, like using an iron pole instead of a semal tree.
Government Response: There is a perceived lack of interest from local and state government bodies in enforcing laws to protect the semal tree, and it is not listed among the state’s ‘rare, threatened, and endangered’ species.

Source: TH