‘Miracle tree’ Prosopis juliflora is threatening land and livelihoods from Pakistan to Africa
Known locally as devi, or vilayati and jangli keekar, the thorny tree was introduced decades ago to reclaim degraded land but now it dominates vast stretches of Tharparkar
By Akhtar Pathan
KARACHI, Pakistan (MNTV) — While the world marks World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2, a fast-spreading invasive tree in Pakistan’s Thar Desert is exposing a lesser-known water crisis, draining aquifers and tightening the grip of drought on communities already living on the edge.
In Thar, where survival hinges on a few weeks of monsoon rain and the fragile generosity of shallow wells, villagers say the land is being quietly strangled by Prosopis juliflora that was once meant to save it.
Known locally as devi, or vilayati and jangli keekar, the thorny tree was introduced decades ago to reclaim degraded land but now it dominates vast stretches of Tharparkar, draining groundwater, killing livestock and erasing native vegetation, according to L.H. Punhani, a researcher and environmentalist and former director of the Sindh Arid Zone Development Authority’s Water Wing.
“This was supposed to be a solution,” Punhani said. “Instead, it has become an existential threat.”
What is unfolding in Tharparkar is not unique. From India’s grasslands to Kenya’s rangelands and Ethiopia’s dry lowlands, Prosopis juliflora has become one of the world’s most persistent invasive plants — a symbol of how well-intentioned environmental fixes can spiral into long-term ecological and human crises.
A promise born of desperation
The story begins in the mid-20th century, when governments across the Global South were searching for quick answers to land degradation, fuelwood shortages and advancing deserts. Native to parts of Central and South America, Prosopis juliflora appeared almost miraculous: fast-growing, drought-resistant and tolerant of saline and alkaline soils.
In Pakistan, Punhani traces its arrival to 1960, during the rule of Gen. Ayub Khan. Irrigation barrages in southern Sindh had triggered severe waterlogging and salinity, turning fertile land in areas such as present-day districts of Mirpurkhas and Badin into wasteland.
Officials responded with large-scale plantation drives, including aerial seeding, dispersing Prosopis seeds over barren terrain. The plant took hold quickly, and for a time, the strategy seemed to work.
Similar logic guided introductions elsewhere. India began planting Prosopis as early as the 1870s to rehabilitate degraded land and supply fuelwood. Sudan, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates followed in the 20th century, hoping the hardy tree would stabilize soils and support rural livelihoods.
What planners underestimated was the plant’s capacity to escape control.
How the desert was overtaken
In Tharparkar, Prosopis arrived not by design but by accident. During a severe drought, pods from trees in southern Sindh were transported north as emergency livestock fodder. Animals ate the pods, wandered across the desert and deposited the seeds in their droppings.
When the rains returned, the seeds germinated with startling vigor.
Starting in the Diplo sub-district, the plant spread rapidly across Tharparkar. Within years, a species previously unknown in the region became nearly ubiquitous.
The reason lies underground, Punhani said. Prosopis juliflora sends out hair-thin roots that spread vertically and horizontally, sometimes extending within a radius of up to 150 feet. The roots act like countless straws, extracting groundwater with extraordinary efficiency.
In a desert dependent on rain-fed aquifers, the impact has been devastating. Shallow wells that once provided sweet drinking water for people and livestock, even during prolonged dry spells, have become unreliable or dry altogether.
A cascade of consequences
The damage goes far beyond water scarcity. Prosopis remains green through droughts lasting two or three years, while native plants — finely tuned over centuries to Tharparkar’s climate — wither and disappear.
Species such as kandi (Prosopis cineraria) and khabbar (Salvadora persica), once vital sources of fodder, are vanishing. Areas overtaken by Prosopis often show an eerie absence of other vegetation, unable to compete for water and space.
The tree’s hazards are also physical. Its sharp thorns are poisonous and can cause permanent disability if wounds are not properly treated. Unripe pods, when chewed by cattle, goats or sheep, can disable jaws, leaving animals unable to graze and slowly starving them to death.
Dense thickets lining roads have reduced visibility, increasing accidents involving vehicles and wandering livestock. In some areas, the impenetrable growth has even provided cover for criminal gangs.
Environmental changes have followed. With native shade-giving plants gone, local temperatures rise. Dense stands trap moisture, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes — a phenomenon virtually unknown in Tharparkar until about two decades ago.
Across East Africa, similar patterns have emerged. Pastoralists in Kenya and Ethiopia report livestock poisoning, injuries from thorns and shrinking grazing lands. Scientists warn that the plant alters water cycles and threatens biodiversity. Globally, biologists rank Prosopis juliflora among the 100 worst invasive alien species.
Fighting back, root by root
Despite the scale of the challenge, resistance has begun. In desert villages, residents have organized collective efforts to uproot the trees by hand. The work is exhausting and slow, but villagers say they have little choice. Locals estimate the plant is “99 percent harmful,” with its only benefit being its use as firewood.
Similar grassroots responses are emerging elsewhere. In parts of India, courts have ordered state governments to develop eradication plans. Agricultural experts promote mechanical removal and the conversion of Prosopis into charcoal, furniture and handicrafts to curb spread while generating income.
In East Africa, community-based programs aim to turn invasive biomass into charcoal briquettes and animal feed, while training pastoralists to prevent reinvasion. Such approaches acknowledge a difficult reality: complete eradication is often unrealistic. Prosopis seeds can remain viable in soil for years and spread widely through animals and floods.
Senior scientists at an agriculture university in Sindh, who wished not to be named, decry official apathy towards the pervasive problem and say there is no awareness of the gravity of the threat from the invasive plant at any level of the government, not to mention measures to combat the menace.
A global reckoning
International organizations are now treating Prosopis juliflora as a transboundary challenge. The IUCN’s Invasive Species Specialist Group has documented management strategies ranging from mechanical clearing to biological control research and land-use planning.
Regional initiatives across Africa, Asia and the Middle East bring together governments, scientists and NGOs to share data and fund pilot projects.
As climate change intensifies drought and land degradation, the stakes are rising. What was once promoted as a climate-resilient solution is now amplifying vulnerability in some of the world’s poorest regions.
For Punhani, the lesson is stark.
“The seeds scattered from planes in 1960 to solve one problem created something far worse,” he said.
In Tharparkar today, the green spread of Prosopis no longer signals renewal. For communities watching their wells dry and their animals weaken, it has become the color of slow devastation — a warning that in fragile ecosystems, even good intentions can take root in dangerous ways.
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