Plant! to change lives in Uganda
25 Apr 2014 04:25 PM
A unique project which will see a tree planted
in Uganda for every child born or adopted in Wales is underway, with the first
set of certificates posted to parents this week The scheme is an
extension of the Welsh Government’s successful Plant! project, managed by
Natural Resources Wales in conjunction with the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw),
which already sees a tree planted in Wales for every child born or adopted
here.
People across Wales will receive a certificate for a
tree planted in both Wales and Uganda for every child born or adopted after the
1st April 2014.
The
extension to Uganda is part of Wales for Africa and Size of Wales’ Ten
Million Trees project, which will see fruit trees planted in the gardens of
family homes in the Mbale region of Uganda.
The
First Minister announced the extension of Plant! to Uganda during a visit to
the Mbale region in January, where he saw for himself the difference tree
planting is making.
The
First Minister said:
“It was an honour to visit Mbale earlier this
year. The work being carried out there by our Wales for Africa partners, such
as Size of Wales, is making a huge difference by helping locals make better
lives for themselves.
“The extension of the Plant! project to Uganda
means that even more trees will be planted to reach our target of 10 million,
helping to reduce the impact of climate change by providing much needed shade
for people and their crops.”
Tree planting in Uganda is helping to alleviate problems
caused by deforestation, and providing new and sustainable livelihoods for
local people from the fruit and wood from the trees.
Trees are critical to the environment, both locally and
globally. Tropical forests absorb nearly a fifth of all man made C02 emissions,
making them crucial to the world’s climate. Planting trees in Wales and
Uganda is vital in helping to tackle climate
change.