City–forest relationship in Nagpur: One of the greenest cities of India

Abstract There are sporadic reports on urban forests in Indian cities. Nagpur is one of the greenest cities of India with 18 per cent of its area under forests and plantations, 17 per cent under cultivation and 2 per cent under water bodies. The present study showed that natural vegetation of the city is very well diversified with a representation of 59 per cent vegetation including 124 trees species belonging to 38 families as compared with the overall district vegetation statistics. Air quality in the city is relatively better with lower SO 2 (6 μg/m 3 ), NO 2 (18 μg/m 3 ) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matters (RSPM, 53 μg/m 3 ) as against National Ambient Air Quality Standards (2009) for cities in India of 80, 80 and 100 μg/m 3 , respectively. It was also noted that the diversity in natural forests which are being protected is greater than the plantations undertaken by the civic authorities and private sector efforts. The study thus demonstrated the positive relationship of the city with diversified vegetation cover for cleaner environment. The analysis is expected to guide formulation of strategies for maintaining green space in the city.