Community-led Tree Census: A Guidebook for Local Action

This guidebook emerges from a shared need for environmental assessment, voiced at both the city and community levels through structured discussions within the Delhi Water Forum and Community Water Forums (CWFs) in two AIWASI demonstration sites: Bakkarwala Resettlement Colony and Mubarakpur Dabas Urban Village. In both communities, residents identified a significant lack of green cover and trees in their neighbourhoods, reinforcing the urgency for localised action. In Bakkarwala, while neighbourhood and pocket parks exist, the internal streets and open spaces remain largely devoid of tree cover, exacerbating residents’ exposure to urban heat island effects and severe air pollution. This observation, raised repeatedly during CWF meetings, laid the foundation for a grassroots initiative to map and understand existing tree cover through a community-led tree census. 

In Mubarakpur Dabas, once characterised by dense tree-lined lanes, the changing land use patterns, combined with persistent waterlogging in certain low-lying areas, have contributed to a steep decline in tree survival and overall green cover. Community members expressed concern over this ecological degradation, prompting a similar interest in systematically documenting their local tree assets. Recognising that any meaningful engagement with government authorities would require evidence-based dialogue, both communities undertook a participatory tree census to assess and map their existing green infrastructure. The activity was conducted with active involvement from trained local volunteers, supported by project partners. The preliminary results were shared with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Horticulture Department, which acknowledged the value of this initiative and expressed interest in replicating it in other neighbourhoods across the city