Ecologists in Goa have urged the forest department to act against the growing use of decorative lights and floodlights on trees during festivals and events, warning that nails, heat and artificial illumination can damage tree health and disturb birds and other organisms living on or around them.
The practice has reportedly expanded across villages and towns, where shopkeepers and hoteliers use illuminated mango and other trees on their premises to attract customers. Environmentalists said lights are often wrapped around branches and nails are driven into bark to hold installations in place.
Aasavari Kulkarni, a postgraduate in botany working in the environmental field from Honda-Sattari, said the installations can puncture tree bark and spread fungal infections into trunks. She said the damage can also interfere with the systems that transport nutrients and water through trees.
“Installation of decorative lights on trees has been found damaging to trees as well as the organisms living on those trees,” Kulkarni said.
Environmentalists also raised concerns about the effect of artificial illumination on wildlife. Suraj Malik, a wildlifer and environment lawyer, said illumination during festivals can disrupt a tree’s natural rhythm and reduce photosynthetic efficiency. He also said heat from lights could scorch leaves and bark.
Malik said the illumination can disorient roosting birds, damage nests and drive away nocturnal pollinators. The concerns are particularly relevant in Goa, where trees commonly form part of commercial premises, village streets and public-facing landscapes rather than remaining confined to forest areas.
The issue has also reached the courts in neighbouring Maharashtra. In a public interest litigation, the Bombay High Court issued notices to state authorities regarding action to stop the use of decorative lights on trees. Environmentalists in Goa said the practice, however, continues without similar visible enforcement in the state.
The reported conflict is not only between festive decoration and conservation. It also concerns how commercial activity uses living trees as visual infrastructure and whether local authorities have clear rules for temporary lighting, installation methods and protection of nesting or roosting sites.
The ecologists have called on forest department officials to crack down on the practice as its use has increased in recent years. The report does not specify whether Goa has issued a dedicated state-wide order regulating decorative lighting on trees or whether any enforcement action has already been initiated.
