India Leads The Way- Joins UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign
By Marianne de Nazareth
26 February, 2010
Countercurrents.org
Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia Feb 25, 2010: It was an exciting moment when Vijai Sharma the Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests announced that India had joined the United Nations Environment Programme’s Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, on the 25th of February 2010. The pledge was 2 billion trees. India’s two billion trees will bring the International Campaign launched in 2006 to the 10 billion mark.
According to Sharma, “ since a large part of the population in India depends on land, putting pressure on forests particularly in the areas where cattle overgraze and denude the land. The socio- economic pressures on the forests are large and the government of India is looking for positive solutions.”
The species of trees being planted in India according to Sharma are the local Teak and Sal, indigenous varieties which favour biodiversity as well. Since the forestry department is decentralised and streamlined he said he was sure the plan would be a total success.
Sharma went on to say that this action on the part of India, will hopefully booster the action of afforestation across the world which will benefit local communities. “ Since forestry forms the second largest land use in India, the government actively monitors the growth of trees through the Forest Survey of India. Tree planting is also nationally monitored by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. We in our country have been actively involved in reforestation and the protection of Wildlife. Environment protection is very important in the complex web of life.”
With the Commonwealth Games slated for 2010, the organizers have spearheaded an initiative to plant more trees and increase the tree cover in the city.
Achim Steiner the Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme said, “It is wonderful to have India join a campaign that will give so much in terms of trees and the future of this planet. In June we have reached 7 billion trees planted and with this latest planting in India we have reached the 10 billion mark. This is the kind of solidarity that will make a difference for moving economies towards a low carbon and sustainable world.”
According to UNEP sine its launch in late 2006 hundreds of millions of people ranging from scouts to presidents and from school children to city dwellers and corporate heads have rolled up their sleeves and got down to planting as part of the Billion Tree Campaign. The Billion Tree Campaign was launched jointly with the World Agro-forestry Centre during the UN climate convention meeting in November 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya. Nobel Peace prize laureate and Founder of the Green Belt Movement Professor Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert of Monaco supported this initiative.
Citizens from 170 countries have joined the Billion Tree Campaign, with China joining in September last. China planted 6.1 billion trees of which 2.6 has been contributed to the campaign. Ethiopia has planted 1.4 billion, Turkey 711 million Mexico 537 million and others close to the figures include Kenya, Cuba and Indonesia.
Today the movement has grown with community support across the world and has moved into the realm of becoming a people’s campaign with more than 52 percent of the participants being private citizens.
With India joining the campaign it is indeed a positive step in the right direction to control the march of Climate change and joining hands with UNEP reinforcing the motto that “ every tree counts and we count every tree.”
Marianne de Nazareth
Media fellow with UNEP reporting from Nusa Dua, Bali.
