|
About | Contact | Mongabay on Facebook | Mongabay on Twitter | Free newsletter |
|
|
Global campaign has planted 7 billion trees mongabay.com September 23, 2009 7.3 billion trees have been planted in 167 countries since the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the initiative in 2006. The effort aimed to sequester vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere while generating benefits — including erosion control, biodiversity conservation, and agroforestry potential — for human populations as well as wildlife. “Seven billion trees, seven billion commitments to action and seven billion reasons why governments should be inspired to ‘seal the deal’ at the crucial UN climate change convention meeting in Copenhagen in less than 80 days’ time,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner in a statement. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement and a key partner in the campaign, said the massive reforestation project was an "incredible" achievement and that people around the world should continue planting trees.
Reforestation, together with cutting deforestation and forest degradation, is expected to play an important role in a future climate agreement. Deforestation accounts for nearly a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing these emissions by protecting forests is seen as a cost-effective way to help hight climate change. While reforestation offers many benefits, some environmentalists have criticized the counting of single-species tree plantations towards the 7-billion tree target. They instead prefer a diversity of species, ideally native types planted by local communities rather than industrial forestry companies and governments.
Tags: reforestation forests happy-upbeat environmental plantations trees forest recovery agroforestry green environment United Nations carbon sequestration Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements:
|
|
|
DON'T LIKE ADS? Become a mongabay supporter WEEKLY NEWSLETTER RECENT FEATURES
POPULAR PAGES Photos
CALENDARS 
BOOKS BY MONGABAY AUTHORS
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS 
|
| | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright mongabay 2010 Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect, an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region. Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant. |
