Plans are under way to plant at least 10 million trees in five years. This is to mitigate climate change among others. Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environmental Makhotso Sotyu made the statement during the launch of the national Arbor Month campaign in Ngodwana, Mpumalanga.
The campaign is aimed at promoting communities’ awareness of the need to conserve and protect trees.
The Pepper-bark tree is an endangered plant due to its apparent healing properties. Communities are discouraged from deforestation, as all the trees are vital to provide oxygen and combat climate change and food insecurity.
“The issues of fighting deforestation and climate change are not only the Department of Environmental Affairs, each and every department has to play its role including Department of Agriculture as they have a big role because they are responsible for the planting where we grow food, but we are working with them. What’s important is going to the people,” says Sotyu.
The theme for this year’s Arbor Month is Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption.
“To integrate and share from growing tree sustainably and managing the land sustainably and how we integrate the rural community in the value chain and I think that’s important because we are there for life. It important for our relationship and the social impact is properly rooted in the rural landscape,” says Sappi vice president of forestry Duane Roothman.
“To plant about 10 million within 5 year, by the end of this financial year we could have planted one million trees, but its not only government that is supposed to do that even NGOs and companies,” Sotyu added.
The department plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with its Human Settlements counterpart to plant a tree at all newly built RDP houses.
Plans under way to plant at least 10 million trees in five year
