23 Jan 2022

Batswana have been urged to take ownership of climate change action by planting trees.

Speaking during a tree donation ceremony in Gaborone recently, British high commissioner, Ms Sian Price stressed the importance of delivering ‘a green city, healthy city’ project whose overall objective was to raise the public and critical stakeholders’ ambition and ownership of climate change action through practical initiatives.

Such initiatives, she said, would achieve their objectives through a multi-stakeholder public-led tree planting campaign to restore Gaborone’s ecosystem.

Ms Price said the engagement of the public was essential in undertaking action for addressing the anticipated and already manifesting impacts of climate change.

“The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) warns us ‘no action on climate change is sustainable unless it involves the people,” she said.

The high commissioner said all had a duty to contribute to efforts that save the planet and turn around the worrying trends such as greenhouse gases, deforestation and environmentally unsustainable livelihood activities that had been increasing in Botswana.

Hailing Chevening Alumni Association of Botswana (CHAABO) for the donation, she said planting trees created green spaces in the city thereby contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

For her part, acting director in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Ingrid Otukile said Botswana’s natural resources including trees and forests were under pressure from over-exploitation, bush encroachments and uncontrolled wild fires.

“These factors are stretching the resources beyond their regenerative capacities,” she said.

Ms Otukile said government continued to embark on tree planting and other initiatives to promote sustainable forest management and conservation, improve local livelihoods and ensure sustainable production and trade in forest products.

Ms Otukile encouraged tree planting at all events both national and private “such as weddings, baby showers, bridal showers and birthday parties”.

She praised CHAABO for the initiative saying the organisation was creating public awareness and education on the importance of trees and forests and the many environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits derived from them.

On behalf of CHAABO, which donated 250 fruit and indigenous trees to five Gaborone primary schools, Ms Kagiso Madibana said the tree donation was part of the organisation’s ambitious project to beautify Botswana and to honour its former chairperson, the late Dr Obakeng Sethamo.

The trees were a gift from Ms Thato Mathiba who said she was promoting the planting of indigenous tree species in order to conserve Botswana’s natural heritage.

She said each school would get 38 fruit and 12 indigenous trees.

Ms Mathiba said indigenous trees were  resilient to harsh climatic conditions and assisted in biodiversity conservation for ecological restoration, human health, increasing food and water security protection, delivering ecosystem goods and services, supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as green job growth.

She encouraged people to plant seeds after eating fruits and indigenous trees.

Representing other school heads, Mr Douglus Mongwa of Thabologo Primary School said the donation would foster love and respect for trees.

He announced plans to name the school orchard after Dr Sethamo.

Other schools that received trees were Itumeleng, Bophirima and Rainbow primary schools as well as The Learning Centre. Ends