Community plants 230 tree seedlings to combat climate change

About 230 tree seedlings have been planted at Korle Gonno in Accra as part of a community initiative to restore the area’s green cover and support efforts to combat climate change.

The exercise, which formed part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability within the community, targeted schools, roadsides, residential compounds and other public spaces to improve air quality, support biodiversity and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The three day community tree planting exercise was organised by the Korle Gonno Community Development at the Office of the Assembly Member in collaboration with Afro Home Climate Change Organisation, the Forestry Commission, Team Strongman Foundation and Cartel Foundation on the theme: ‘Promoting Environmental Sustainability and Improving the Green Cover of our Community.’

Speaking at the exercise, the Assembly Member for the Korle Gonno Electoral Area, Ransford Nii Antie Quaye, said the seedlings, comprising palm, coconut, guava and canopy trees, had been nurtured ahead of the exercise and planted across both the outskirts and inner sections of the community.

He stated that the exercise supported government’s call on every household to plant trees, stressing that tree planting remained one of the most effective natural ways of tackling climate change.

Mr Antie Quaye explained that trees absorbed carbon dioxide, filtered pollutants from the atmosphere, supported local biodiversity and naturally regulated temperatures, making them critical to protecting the environment.

He said sustainability remained the main objective of the initiative, adding that landlords and residents had been consulted to identify suitable planting sites, while members of the community had been encouraged to take ownership of the seedlings in order to ensure their survival.

The Founder of Afro Home Climate Change, Kwabena Owusu Amoah, attributed low community participation in tree planting to inadequate environmental education, saying many people were unaware of the role they could play in combating climate change.

He noted that the organisation had, therefore, shifted its focus by establishing sanitation clubs in all 16 basic schools within the Korle Gonno community to educate pupils on waste segregation, environmental sanitation and tree planting.

Additionally, he underlined that the next phase of the initiative would involve pupils from 10 selected schools with adequate space for tree planting, explaining that instilling environmental responsibility in children would help raise a generation committed to protecting the environment while improving public health in the long term.

Mr Owusu Amoah further explained that the project included a monitoring system under which volunteers would inspect the seedlings regularly, replace those that failed to survive and supervise households in need of seedlings to ensure the trees were properly planted and maintained.

The Founder of Team Strongman Foundation, Stephen Nii Afotey Odai, said the collaboration underscored the importance of partnerships in addressing climate change and other environmental challenges confronting communities.

He indicated that environmental conservation required the collective efforts of government, civil society organisations, corporate bodies and community members, adding that the foundation would continue to support initiatives that promoted sustainable development and environmental protection.

Mr Odai urged residents to nurture and protect the seedlings after planting, stressing that the success of the exercise would not be determined by the number of trees planted but by how many survived to maturity and benefited future generations.

BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG

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