Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has urged the planting of local fruit trees, such as peepal tree, mango, bor, and jamun tree, in the forest areas to promote wildlife and reduce human-wildlife conflict. Speaking at a meeting at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Mumbai, Naik emphasized the importance of grafting Bahadoli jamun from Palghar and mango trees, and preparing saplings for plantation in nurseries.

Naik explained that introducing these fruit-bearing plants would increase the population of herbivores in the forest, which, in turn, would help alleviate the rising incidences of human-wildlife conflicts in these areas. The meeting was attended by senior forest officials, including Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Milind Mhaiskar (IAS), Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Shomita Biswas, and others.

During the meeting, Forest Minister Naik was given an overview of various forest-related departments such as CAMPA, Wildlife, and Mangrove Cell. He also recalled his past contribution to the Maharashtra Forest Department when he signed an agreement with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan in 1995 for a tree plantation program. Naik instructed senior forest officials to prepare innovative proposals and approach international agencies for funding similar projects, including sending a delegation of forest officers abroad for study tours to gather ideas for future initiatives.

The Minister also stressed the importance of focusing on local fruit tree plantations in the forest's core areas and proposed expanding efforts to plant these trees in the coming years. He further directed that the forest employees' challenges be taken into consideration, with steps to address their concerns at the government level.

Naik revealed plans to visit one district every week, starting with Konkan, and also outlined a proposal for a sea voyage by ship to observe the condition of mangrove forests along the coast. Additionally, he conducted an inspection of the mangrove forest from the Atal Setu Bridge and instructed for large-scale mangrove plantations along the creek.

During the meeting, Forest Minister Naik also released the Pench Tiger Reserve Nagpur Wildlife Calendar for 2025 and the Civil List 2025 for the Indian Forest Service officers.