Millions of Ethiopians mobilised on Monday, July 29, 2019 to plant more than 350 million trees as part of the "Green Legacy Initiative" programme. This initiative aims to plant four billion trees by October 2019. An effort that will promote reforestation in a country where forests are under serious threat due to climate change. The government invested 330 million euros for the project.
In half a day, 353,633,660 tree plants were buried in Ethiopian soil. This figure seems to reflect Ethiopians’ fierce desire to green their environment. In May 2019, the country launched a reforestation programme called the “Green Legacy Initiative”. Through this approach, it aims to plant 4 billion trees by October 2019. The official launch of the operations took place on Monday, July 28, 2019. Civil servants and other workers have left their offices and workstations to join civil society actors. An operation that was coordinated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiu Ahmed. The mobilisation brought together “23 million people from all walks of life”, as the Ethiopian news agency pointed out. The first result is that more than 350 million trees were planted in 12 hours, according to statistics provided by the authorities. Ethiopia by this act therefore has broken the world record, previously held by India, with 66 million trees planted in one day.
Leaving an ecological legacy for future generations
Ethiopian forests are threatened by climate change. Fifty years ago, green massifs covered 40% of Ethiopian territory. Today, as a result of climate change and deforestation, they cover only 15% of the country. This situation has an impact on agricultural productivity and often results in deadly landslides. It is thus to respond to all these problems that the “Green Legacy Initiative” was created. According to Tim Christophersen, president of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, quoted by bioalaune.com, the programme will reduce CO2 emissions, increase oxygen production and purify water; measures that will leave a green and sustainable legacy for future generations.
Since the start of the programme’s implementation in May 2019, 2.6 billion trees have been planted across the country.
However, only 20-30% of the trees planted in Ethiopia between 2010 and 2015 survived. The young shrubs quickly disappeared, as they were used as pasture for animals….
Luchelle Feukeng
