Wangari
Maathai, Prince of Monaco and Agroforestry Experts
Back Global Down-to-Earth Action to Combat Climate
Change
Nairobi, 8 November 2006 –The
vital importance of voluntary collective action
in the fight against climate change is spotlighted
today with the launch of a new campaign to plant
a billion trees.
The Plant for the Planet: Billion
Tree Campaign, coordinated by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), will encourage all
sectors of society—from the concerned citizen
to the philanthropic corporation-- to take small
but practical steps to combat what is probably
the key challenge of the 21st century.
The campaign, backed by Nobel
Peace Prize laureate and Green Belt Movement activist
Professor Wangari Maathai, His Serene Highness
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco and the
World Agroforestry Centre-ICRAF, was unveiled
at the annual climate change convention conference
taking place in Nairobi.
Achim Steiner, United Nations
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director
of UNEP said: “Intergovernmental talks on addressing
climate change can often be difficult, protracted
and sometimes frustrating, especially for those
looking on but we cannot and must not lose heart”.
“Meanwhile, action does not
need to be confined to the corridors of the negotiation
halls. The campaign, which aims to plant a minimum
of one billion trees in 2007, offers a direct
and straight forward path down which all sectors
of society can step to contribute to meeting the
climate change challenge,” he added.
“In re-creating lost forests
and developing new ones, we can also address other
concerns including loss of biodiversity, improving
water availability, stemming desertification and
reducing erosion,” said Mr Steiner.
Professor Maathai said: "When
we are planting trees sometimes people will say
to me, 'I don't want to plant this tree, because
it will not grow fast enough'. I have to keep
reminding them that the trees they are cutting
today were not planted by them, but by those who
came before. So they must plant the trees that
will benefit communities in the future."
Mr Steiner added: “The Billion
Tree Campaign is but an acorn, but it can also
be practically and symbolically a significant
expression of our common determination to make
a difference in developing and developed countries
alike.”
“We have but a short time to
avert serious climate change. We need action.
We need to plant trees alongside other concrete
community-minded actions and in doing so, send
a signal to the corridors of political power across
the globe that the watching and waiting is over
— that countering climate change can take root
via one billion small but significant acts in
our gardens, parks, countryside and rural areas,”
said Mr Steiner.
Other actions include people
driving less, switching off lights in empty rooms
and turning off electrical appliances rather than
leaving them on standby. If everyone in the United
Kingdom switched off rather than left TV sets
and other appliances on standby it would save
enough electricity to power close to three million
homes for a year, according to some estimates.
The idea for Plant for the Planet:
The Billion Tree Campaign was inspired by Professor
Maathai who, along with the Prince, is co-patron
of the new initiative.
When a corporate group in the
United States told Professor Maathai it was planning
to plant a million trees, her response was: “That’s
great, but what we really need is to plant a billion
trees.”
His Serene Highness Albert II,
said: “I am particularly honoured to be associated
with the founder, Professor Wangari Maathai, whose
involvement in the process of reforestation has
been, and continues to be, inspirational. To plant
a tree for future generations is a simple gesture,
yet a strong symbol of sustainable development.”
Under the Plant for the Planet:
Billion Tree Campaign, people and entities from
around the world are encouraged to enter pledges
on a web site www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign.
The campaign is open to all
– individuals, children and youth groups, schools,
community groups, non-governmental organizations,
farmers, private sector organizations, local authorities,
and national governments. Each pledge can be anything
from a single tree to 10 million trees.
The Plant for the Planet: Billion
Tree Campaign encourages the planting of indigenous
trees and trees that are appropriate to the local
environment, with mixtures of species preferred
over other options.
The campaign identifies four
key areas for planting: degraded natural forests
and wilderness areas; farms and rural landscapes;
sustainably managed plantations; and urban environments
but it can also begin with a single tree in a
back garden.
Advice on tree planting will
be made available via the website, as well as
information about reforestation and other tree-related
issues, including links to appropriate partner
organizations best equipped to give locally tailored
advice, such as the World Agroforestry Centre-ICRAF.
Dennis Garrity, ICRAF Director
General said: “the Plant for the Planet: Billion
Tree Campaign is a superb initiative by UNEP to
link people, trees and the environment. Planting
trees is great, although using appropriate scientific
knowledge to plant the right tree in the right
place is even greater. The 500 million smallholder
farmers in the tropics stand to benefit tremendously
from the greater recognition, appreciation and
promotion of the right trees in the right places,
so that such trees may transform both lives and
landscapes.
The responsibility for tree
planting will lie with the person or organization
making the pledge via the campaign website. All
contributing participants to the Billion Tree
Campaign will receive a certificate of involvement.
They will be encouraged to follow
up via the website so UNEP can verify that the
trees have survived, in partnership with recognized
certification mechanisms. The website will record
the ongoing tally of pledges, and also publish
photos and accounts from registered campaign members
of what they have achieved.
Notes to Editors
For information about the Billion Tree Campaign
and how to join, please see: http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign
Details of the second meeting of the Parties to
the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 2), in conjunction
with the twelfth session of the Conference of
the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP
12), taking place in Nairobi from 6 to 17 November
2006, can be found at www.unfccc.int
UNEP climate change resources are at http://www.unep.org/themes/climatechange/
For More Information Please Contact Nick Nuttall,
UNEP Spokesperson, Office of the Executive Director
Elisabeth Waechter, Associate Media Officer
Fast Facts
Trees are the largest and longest living organisms
on earth.
To make up for the loss of trees in the past decade,
we would need to plant 130 million hectares (or
1.3 million km2), an area as large as Peru.
Covering the equivalent of 130
million hectares would entail planting approximately
14 billion trees every year for 10 consecutive
years. This would require each person to plant
and care for at least two seedlings a year.
Rehabilitating tens of millions of hectares of
degraded land and reforesting the Earth is necessary
to restore and maintain the productivity of soil
and water resources.
Expanding tree cover on denuded
lands will reduce pressures on remaining primary
forests, helping to preserve habitats and to safeguard
the Earth’s biological diversity. It will also
mitigate the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Rainforests cover only 7 per
cent of the land on earth but they contain nearly
half of all the trees on earth. They generate
about 40 per cent of the world’s oxygen.
In one year, an average tree
inhales 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of CO2 and exhales
enough oxygen for a family of four for a year.
One hectare of trees can absorb
6 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
A long haul flight will produce 3.75 tonnes of
CO2 (or one tonne of carbon)
How much of the world is forested?
Forests cover 30 per cent of the planet’s total
land area. The total forested area in 2005 was
just under 4 billion hectares, at least one third
less than before the dawn of agriculture, some
10,000 years ago. (100 hectares is the same as
1 square kilometre).
Where are most forests found?
Forests are unevenly distributed. The ten most
forest-rich countries, which account for two-thirds
of the total forested area, are the Russian Federation,
Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru
and India.
What is a primary forest?
On a global average, more than one-third of all
forests are primary forests, defined as forests
where there are no clearly visible indications
of human activity and where ecological processes
are not significantly disturbed. Six million hectares
of primary forest are lost every year due to deforestation
and modification through selective logging and
other human interventions.
Only 20 per cent of the world’s
forests remain in large intact areas. These forests
consist of tropical rain forests, mangrove, coastal
and swamp forests. Monsoon and deciduous forests
flourish in the drier and more mountainous regions.
Primary forests shelter diverse animal and plant
species, and culturally diverse indigenous people,
with deep connections to their habitat.
What are the protective functions
of forests?
Trees quite literally form the foundations of
many natural systems. They help to conserve soil
and water, control avalanches, prevent desertification,
protect coastal areas and stabilize sand dunes.
Forests are the most important
repositories of terrestrial biological biodiversity,
housing up to 90 per cent of known terrestrial
species.
Trees and shrubs play a vital
role in the daily life of rural communities. They
provide sources of timber, fuel wood, food, fodder,
essential oils, gums, resins and latex, medicines
and shade. Forest animals have a vital role in
forest ecology such as pollination, seed dispersal
and germination.
What are the links between forests
and climate change?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and are vital carbon
sinks. It is estimated that the world’s forests
store 283 Gigatonnes of carbon in their biomass
alone, and that carbon stored in forest biomass,
deadwood, litter and soil together is roughly
50 per cent more than the carbon in the atmosphere.
Carbon in forest biomass decreased
in Africa, Asia and South America in the period
11000–2005. For the world as a whole, carbon stocks
in forest biomass decreased annually by 1.1 Gigatonne
of carbon (equivalent to 4 billion 25kg sacks
of charcoal).
The loss of natural forests
around the world contributes more to global emissions
each year than the transport sector. Curbing deforestation
is a highly cost-effective way to reduce emissions.
Other solutions include increased
energy efficiency, reduced energy demand, better
transport and the use of green energy.
What is the deforestation rate
on Earth?
World population currently stands at 6.5 billion
people. It is projected to grow to 9 billion by
2042. The expansion of agricultural and industrial
needs, population growth, poverty, landlessness
and consumer demand are the major driving forces
behind deforestation. Most deforestation is due
to conversion of forests to agricultural land.
Global removals of wood for timber and fuel amounted
to 3.1 billion cubic metres in 2005.
Worldwide, deforestation continues
at an alarming rate, about 13 million hectares
per year, an area the size of Greece or Nicaragua.
Africa and South America have the largest net
loss of forests. In Africa it is estimated that
nearly half of forest loss was due to removal
of wood fuel. Forests in Europe are expanding.
Asia, which had a net loss in the 11000s, reported
a net gain of forests in the past five years,
primarily due to large-scale forestation in China.
Forest planting and the natural
expansion of forests help to reduce the net loss
of forests. The net change in forested area in
the period 2000–2005 is estimated at 7.3 million
hectares a year (an area about the size of Sierra
Leone or Panama), down from 8.9 million hectares
a year in the period 11000–2000.
Where should trees be planted
as a priority?
Favourable growing conditions give nations in
the southern hemisphere an advantage over most
industrial countries in the economics of wood
production. Plantations in the south can produce
10–20 cubic metres of wood per hectare per year,
considerably more than plantations in most northern
temperate regions and 10–20 times the typical
productivity of natural forests worldwide.
The Plant for the Planet: Billion
Tree Campaign encourages the planting of trees
in four key areas, namely: (i) degraded natural
forests and wilderness areas; (ii) farms and rural
landscapes; (iii) sustainably managed plantations;
and (iv) urban environments. Trees have to be
well adapted to local conditions, and mixtures
of species are preferred over monocultures. Many
trees have communal benefits, especially for the
poor, and ownership, access and use rights are
as important as the number of trees.
Who owns forests and trees?
Forest and tree ownership and tenure are changing.
Eighty per cent of the world’s forests are publicly
owned, but private ownership is on the rise, especially
in North and Central America and in Oceania.
About 11 per cent of the world’s
forests are designated for the conservation of
biological diversity.
These areas are mainly, but not exclusively, in
protected areas.
Who cares for forests and trees?
Around 10 million people are employed in conventional
forest management and conservation. Formal employment
in forestry declined by about 10 per cent from
11000 to 2000. More than 1 billion forest adjacent
people are informal custodians of forests. They
rely on forest products and services for a significant
part of their livelihoods. Approximately 500 million
small-scale farmers in the tropics retain and
manage trees on their farms for livelihood goals.
Trees and Humanity
Forests provide not only environmental protection,
but also significant income and livelihood options
globally for more than one billion forest-dependent
people.
Trees provide a wide range of
products (timber, fruit, medicine, beverages,
fodder) and services (carbon sequestration, shade,
beautification, erosion control, soil fertility).
Without trees human life would be unsustainable.
Forests also play an important
cultural, spiritual and recreational role in many
societies. In some cases, they are integral to
the very definition and survival of indigenous
and traditional cultures.
Forests and trees are symbolically
important in most of the world’s major religions.
Trees symbolize historical continuity, they link
earth and heavens and, to many traditions, are
home to both good and bad spirits and the souls
of ancestors.
Forests also play an important
role in offering recreational opportunities and
spiritual solace in modern societies. They are
universally powerful symbols, a physical expression
of life, growth and vigour to urban, rural and
forest dwellers alike.
Medicinal products from trees
help to cure diseases and increase fertility.
Aspirin originally came from the bark of a willow
tree. Quinine, the cure for malaria, comes from
the bark of Cinchona trees.
Trees preside over community discussions and marriages.
They are planted at the birth of a child and at
burial sites.
