Pretoria - Planting trees in the cities, which are said to be responsible for 75% of the world’s carbon dioxide, would go a long way to improving the quality of life for people living in polluted areas.
In its efforts to improve air quality, climate resilience and biodiversity, preserve the soil and support wildlife, the City of Tshwane encourages people to plant trees to mitigate the impact of climate change.
As part of its greening initiative, the City has expressed its intention to donate 3 000 trees to public schools, community formations and non-profit organisations.
MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management, Katlego Mathebe, called on interested organisations to apply for free indigenous and fruit trees.
Interested organisations and civic groups must be situated within the jurisdiction of the City.
The applicants have been advised that the City would under no circumstances process a plant donation request for fundraising events where plants would be sold.
An organisation may only request plant donation once per financial year and must provide transport and labour for the collection of plants.
Mathebe said: “Trees play a vital role in rehabilitating environments, improving air quality, climate resilience and biodiversity, preserving the soil and supporting wildlife. A degraded environment does not only minimise opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods but works against any means to fight against the plight of the most vulnerable individuals in society.”
She said the city has set itself a target of donating 8 000 trees in the 2022/23 financial year to public schools, community formations and non-profit organisations as part of its greening initiatives.
To date, Mathebe said, the municipality has donated over 3 000 indigenous and fruit trees in various areas of the city since July 2022.
“Our Environment and Agriculture Management Department has a responsibility to guard the City’s natural environment effectively and sustainably. In that regard, we call on interested parties to join our efforts to protect green spaces with tree planting and activism,” she said.
Pretoria News