Another factor for long term persistence: religion I’m cities across India where there are limited protections for flora and fauna, one can often see trees see

Another factor for long term persistence: religion I’m cities across India where there are limited protections for flora and fauna, one can often see trees seen favorably in religion or even unfavorable in religion, survive while others perish. Trees that are viewed unfavorably are especially interesting. Peepal or Ficus religiosa is believed to harbor evil spirits in the folklore. You’d expect it to disappear from the landscape, but counterintuitive to the idea, they are some of the most commonly found trees in the cities. Reason: no one wants to upset the evil spirits by cutting down the tree. It’s sometimes near impossible to find people willing to even trim the trees down to keep them safe.