With an aim to protect the environment, around 1,000 shady trees will be planted in Toungoo district starting from the early monsoon in 2024, according to the Save the Trees Environmental Protection Association.
From June, when it starts raining, they will plant trees in the vacant and virgin land around schools, monasteries and village treks, said an official from the association.
“We will grow trees in Toungoo district. We will start in June when it begins raining. We will mainly plant in the vacant areas of schools, monasteries, and villages, as well as along the sides of village roads. We plan to plant only about 1,000 trees that we can take care of their growth,” he said.
The objectives of this tree-planting campaign are to raise public awareness about environmental conservation, climate change and deforestation and to promote public appreciation of plants.
“We are focusing on developing self-awareness among people and children, and they all need to join in preserving and cultivating trees by themselves to conserve the environment and to protect against climate change rather than greening a large area with lots of plants. Another point is to create a green and peaceful environment in the future with the help of the shade provided by the trees we grow,” he added.
Before COVID-19, they used to grow 2,000 to 6,000 trees a year. After a pause of a few years during the pandemic, they plan to resume the activity this year, which will also include maintenance and preservation schemes for the continued growth of existing live plants in public areas.
“Before, we used to grow at least 2,000 to 6,000 trees. We stopped in COVID-19. Since we are only going to start again this year, we won’t grow many plants. We will cultivate as many as we can to take care of their growth. Besides, we also have some plans to do, such as preserving the existing plants in public areas and objecting to the cutting down of trees. Cutting down one tree may not make a big difference, but if many people cut down trees, there will be fewer shady areas. Houses surrounded by the shade of trees and bamboo will be peaceful because trees can reduce the temperature to some extent. So, planting trees is not enough, and we also need to educate people not to destroy or cut down existing trees,” he said. — MT/ZN/ED
