Public Urged to Invest in Planting Tree in Fight Against Climate Change

By Elizabeth Angira

Worth Noting:

• The government will spare no efforts in environmental conservation measures in the coastal county to ensure people’s health and safety is safeguarded during these extreme climate change events.
• During the event more than 1,000 trees were planted in the sprawling at the dispensary and primary school to conserve the environment and increase climate resilience.
• “The trees which were planted were 500 indigenous, 300 exotic and 200 fruits,” he said.
• He noted that the world is getting more and more urbanized and that demand for housing is putting pressure on green spaces thus leading to the replacement of such treasured green spaces with ‘concrete surfaces and jungles’.

Residents have been urged to invest in planting trees to realize sustainable development and fight climate change.

According to the department of forestry in Kisii County, the forest cover in the county is approximated at 228.4 hectares.

Speaking at Nyaura location, Kisii Central Deputy County Commissioner Wilberforce Kilonzo said that, planting trees is not only beneficial to the environment but also improves people’s physical and mental health.

Kilonzo said that the government is contended to plant trees helps in reducing air pollution, improving the urban environment and reducing the devastating impacts of climate change such as droughts and flooding.

He said that tree planting plays an important role in addressing impacts of climate change, and mitigating effects of climate change besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Trees are vital to our existence because they provide us with oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and by doing so they act as the game changer in reversing global warming,” said Kilonzo.

The government will spare no efforts in environmental conservation measures in the coastal county to ensure people’s health and safety is safeguarded during these extreme climate change events.

During the event more than 1,000 trees were planted in the sprawling at the dispensary and primary school to conserve the environment and increase climate resilience.

“The trees which were planted were 500 indigenous, 300 exotic and 200 fruits,” he said.

He  noted that the world is getting more and more urbanized and that demand for housing is putting pressure on green spaces thus leading to the replacement of such treasured green spaces with ‘concrete surfaces and jungles’.

The county boss urged area residents to adopt the tree planting initiative not only in institutions such as learning institutions, offices and hospitals but also in their homesteads.

“We need to replenish the ecosystem through the planting of more trees because in Gusii has lost a lot of tree species due to deforestation,” he said.

He encouraged the residents of the county to participate in the ambitious plan of planting 15 billion trees as part of the national government’s climate change mitigation agenda.

The administrator has urged the people to plant trees against deforestation and curb the effects of climate change on the environment and to save humanity.

He said that public should support and appreciate the government’s effort to fight climate change and save our planet earth.

Kilonzo advised young people, individuals and organizations throughout the country to cultivate the habit of planting more trees, especially at degraded areas to protect the environment.

The government has set a new ambitious, but achievable goal of realizing 30 percent tree cover by 2030.

He urged area residents to plant more tree during this rain season in order to meet the required forest cover

Kisii County Forest Conservator Wellington Ndaka said that they encourage people to do agro forestry where they intercrop friendly trees with crops.

Mr Ndaka cites that  there is  massive afforestation in the county , the county has  gazetted five national forest with 67 acres  e.g Nyangweta  forest  , Insaria ,  Ndonyo ,  Basi Masige , Itumbe  and Ngeri, whereas Kisii county government forest  has Nyanturago forest, Kemboye and Emburogo  ..

The conservator said many of the indigenous trees have been depleted, saying there need to replenish the forest cover.

Ndaka has urged residents to plant trees in their private lands targeting to end drought attributed due lack of enough forest cover.

He has asked the residents to change their attitude toward tree planting.

“Many of the people looks at the issue of tree planting as a government concern, and yet it’s a concern of all us to protect the environment for posterity,” he said and called on the residents to increase tree cover in their farms, he said.

The Kenya vision 2030 blueprint set a goal for the country to increase the area under forest to 10 percent by 2030and sustainably manage natural forests for environmental protection and enhanced economic growth.

“One of the key pillars of the government agenda is food security