Planting of trees for Conservation of Birds and Pollinators.

Birds are an important component of an ecosystem, benefiting human beings in many ways. Birds matter tremendously, and their presence near to us in cities delivers delight. Spending time connecting with the natural world is the perfect antidote to the pressures of modern life. Getting close to nature and especially listening to birds’ songs and calls helps improve our mental and emotional health, happiness and wellbeing. They make cities more interesting, infusing urban neighborhoods and spaces with a life force. Birds eat insects, which is a natural way to control pests in gardens, on farms, and other places. A group of birds gliding through the air can easily eat hundreds of insects each day, proving effective functional biological control systems. There is a lot of evidence that spending time in nature has positive effects on human well-being. Hikers who heard the bird songs reported a greater sense of well-being than those who didn’t. Therefore, any urban landscape or urban forestry plan must include trees that provide food and shelter. A list of suitable species for bird and pollinators biodiversity is given in annex 2. The Ficus species especially the Pipal (Ficus religiosa), Gular (Ficus glomerata), and Bar (Ficus bengalensis) are suitable for urban spaces.

The pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one third of human food crops. Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, birds, and bats. The survival of many pollinators in Pakistan is at stake due to heavy use of agrochemicals and loss of native habitats, Abundant and healthy populations of pollinators can improve fruit quality and increase fruit size. In farming situations this increases production, and in the wild, biodiversity increases wildlife food sources. In addition, increase in honeybees can increase honey production and create livelihoods for the rural communities. While many flowering plants provide food for the wildlife and pollinators.

Tree Species Suitable for Bird Food and Pollinators

The following plants are recommended for planting in combination with other species in all forest and urban landscapes.

Scientific Name	Local Name	Native/Exotic	Fruit/Nectar
Albizzia lebbek	Black Siris	Native	Nectar
Albizia procera	Safed Siris	Native	Nectar
Bauhinia purpurea	Kachnar	Native	Nectar
Bauhinia variegate	Bahari	Native	Nectar
Bombax ceiba	Simal	Native	Nectar
Carissa opaca	Garanda	Native	Fruit
Cordia dichotoma	Lasuri	Native	Fruit
Cordia myxa	Lasura	Native	Fruit
Crateva religiosa	Religious Tree	Native	Nectar
Ficus benghalensis	Bar	Native	Fruit
Ficus carica	Fig	Native	Fruit
Ficus racemosa	Gular	Native	Fruit
Ficus religiosa	Pipal	Native	Fruit
Ficus virens	Pilkhan	Native	Fruit
Morus alba	Mulberry	Native	Fruit
Morus nigra	Mulberry	Native	Fruit
Phoenix dactylifera	Khajur	Native	Fruit
Prosopis cineraria	Jand/Kandi	Native	Nectar
Punica granatum	Annar	Native	Fruit
Putranjiva roxburghii	Patajin	Native	Fruit
Salvadora oleoides	Pilu	Native	Fruit
Salvadora persica	Pilu	Native	Fruit
Syzygium cumini	Jamun	Native	Nectar
Ziziphus mauritiana	Ber	Native	Fruit
Callistemon viminalis	Bottle brush	Exotic	Nectar
Eucalyptus micotheca	Sufeda	Exotic	Nectar
Eucalyptus tereticornis	Sufeda	Exotic	Nectar
Ficus retusa	Bobari	Exotic	Fruit
Gleditsia triacanthos	Honey locust	Exotic	Nectar
Gmelina arborea	Gumhar	Exotic	Nectar
Grevillea robusta	Silver Oak	Exotic	Nectar
Leucaena leucocephala	Ipil Ipil	Exotic	Nectar
Sapium sebiferum	Tarcharbi	Exotic	Necatr
Tamarindus indica	Imli	Exotic	Nectar