Initiative by the Green
Belt Movement, the Prince of Monaco, UNEP
and ICRAF to Catalyze the Planting of one
Billion Trees Reaches Goal in Advance of Next
Climate Convention Conference.
Nairobi, 28 November 2007 - An indigenous
pencil cedar, or perhaps an African olive
tree, planted in the Horn of Africa has become
a living symbol of enduring hope, optimism
and action for communities and countries determined
to combat climate change and revive biodiversity.
Today Prof. Wangari Maathai, the inspiration
behind the initiative, United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the World Agroforestry
Centre (ICRAF) and Prince Albert II of Monaco
announced that a promise made last year for
the UN climate convention meeting to plant
a billion trees had been met.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director, said: "I
am delighted to say that an initiative to
catalyze the pledging and the planting of
one billion trees has achieved and indeed
surpassed its mark. It is a further sign of
the breathtaking momentum witnessed this year
on the challenge for this generation-climate
change".
"There had been a few cynical smiles
and shaking of heads when the Billion Tree
Campaign was launched. Some said it would
never happen, and others couldn't at first
see the raison d'être. But citizen after
citizen, community after community and country
after country, have proved the doubters wrong
and demonstrated an abiding truth in 2007,"
he added.
"Namely that given a focus and the chance
to act, millions if not billions of people
around this world want an end to pollution
and environmental deterioration and have rolled
up their sleeves and got their hands dirty
to prove the point," said Mr Steiner.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai,
the Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder and
Patron of the campaign, said: "I am elated
beyond words at the global interest and action
that was motivated by the Billion Tree Campaign.
I knew we had it within us as a human family
to rise up! We called you to action almost
exactly a year ago and you responded beyond
our dreams. Thank you very much! Now we must
keep the pressure on and continue the good
work for the planet. Plant another tree today
in celebration!"
The enthusiasm of individuals to make a difference
is underlined by figures collected by UNEP
which indicate that half of all those who
planted are often private citizens or households
planting one to three trees. Significantly,
another 13 per cent have been planted by the
private sector, which participated actively
in the initiative.
ICRAF Director General Dennis Garrity said:
"The World Agroforestry Centre is very
proud that the ambitious goal of the Billion
Tree Campaign has been attained. This milestone
shows clearly that the global community has
the spirit and the substance to unite in achieving
ambitious targets to create a better environment
for all. We look forward to working with UNEP
and so many other organizations in setting
and achieving even greater stretch goals for
a more 'bountreeful' world in the coming years."
The news comes as thousands of delegates
across the world are ready to arrive on the
Indonesian island of Bali for the next and
most crucial round of global warming negotiations
under the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
jointly established by UNEP and the World
Meteorological Organization, has in 2007 concluded
that climate change is happening; the global
impacts are likely to be in many cases devastating
but cost effective solutions are available
now to counter the worst.
The Billion Tree Campaign, inspired by a
concept put forward by Wangari Maathai, was
launched at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi on
8 November 2006.
Among the first, if not the first tree planted,
was an indigenous sapling earthed in the soil
of the garden of Meryem Amar-a UNEP staff
member based in Nairobi who has been coordinating
the UNEP-side of the effort including catalyzing
action as well as registering pledges and
plantings on a dedicated web site.
Early pledges included one from the forest
restoration NGO Trees for Life; a Colombian
radio station; Tree-Nation in Barcelona; the
Great Rift Valley Trust and the Government
of Morocco.
A big boost came in Mexico where the government
and local authorities-with support from the
army and inspired by President Felipe Calderón-pledged
and planted over 200 million trees.
In Kenya the environmental arm of French
energy company Total joined the push and in
some parts of the world refugees took up the
challenge by planting over 9.5 million trees.
The billionth tree planted is believed to
be in Ethiopia where, and as part of the country's
Millennium Commemoration 2007, close to 700
million trees have been planted alone.
Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, a UNEP Champion
of the Earth and senior member of the country's
Environmental Protection Authority, says that
amongst the trees planted are the African
Olive tree and the African pencil cedar.
The initiative, whose other Patron is His
Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco,
is unlikely to end with the surpassing of
the one billion trees planted mark.
UNEP is expecting that Guatemala, China and
Spain will shortly announce that several million
more trees have been planted.
Indonesia is expected today to plant almost
80 million trees in one day in the run up
to the Bali climate convention meeting next
month.
The totals of trees planted are still being
collated with the numbers rising almost daily.
But the top-ranking countries appear to be
Ethiopia, over 700 million trees planted;
Mexico, 217 million trees; Turkey, 150 million;
Kenya, 100 million; Cuba, 96.5 million; Rwanda,
50 million; Republic of Korea, 43 million;
Tunisia, 21 million; Morocco, 20 million;
Myanmar, 20 million and Brazil, 16 million.
The Green Belt Movement alone planted 4.7
million trees, double the number of trees
it had initially pledged.
Notes to Editors
The Billion Tree Campaign web site with pledgings,
plantings and news is at www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign
More details on the UN Framework Convention
Conference in Bali, 3-14 December, is at www.unfccc.int
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
Anne-France White, Associate Information Officer
