South Africa to plant 40,000 trees during Arbor Month

A total of 40,000 trees will be planted during September in a bid to boost the country’s green credentials, particularly during Arbor Month.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, 3,000 trees will be planted.

This was the message from environment, forestry and fisheries deputy minister Maggie Sotyu at the launch of the National Arbor Month campaign in Kwazakhele on Sunday.

Sotyu said the programme had been adopted by the government in 1996 in partnership with Total SA.

“Forestry is part of that and today we’ve planted trees in some parks and cleaned the area around them,” she said.

“We urge the community to preserve their parks and not dump rubbish there.

“The department will plant 3,000 trees in the metro alone and 40,000 in the country during the month.

“We also planted fruit trees at selected houses.

“The trees will be planted by volunteers and residents.

“They will be donated by the department in partnership with Total SA.”

Her department needed to do more to raise awareness of the importance of greening the community, she said.

The campaign was aimed at promoting awareness of the need to plant and maintain indigenous trees throughout SA, especially for the many disadvantaged communities who often lived in barren and waterstressed areas, Sotyu said.

The theme of the 2019 arbor campaign is “Forests and Sustainable Cities”.

“The campaign affords the department and other stakeholders the opportunity to undertake a major national awareness programme emphasising the value of trees and creating awareness of species that are threatened,” she said.

Trees were planted in New Brighton, Walmer and Kwazakhele.