18 Nov 2013

Francistown mayor, Mr James Kgalajwe has said the planting of trees do not only ensure green earth but also assist in ending poverty.



Speaking at the North East District tree planting day in Francistown on Saturday, November 16 Cllr Kgalajwe said the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) advocated for the planting of one million trees by 2015 as a way of ending poverty.



He said government had also urged Batswana to practice backyard nurseries as an alternative package to eradicate poverty below the poverty datum line.
 
Cllr Kgalajwe said through the establishment of backyard nurseries, people did not only earn a living but were at the same time helping to plant more trees.



He said as part of the government efforts to ensure the planting of trees as required by the MDGs, the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) has made a decision to promote indigenous trees to conserve the country’s forest range resources.



Mayor Kgalajwe said this year; motlopi tree had been selected as the tree of the year adding that indigenous trees were more adapted to the local environment than the exotic ones.

 He expressed fear that the increasing human population impacted negatively on natural resources such as trees, which were at risk of extinction if not sustainably utilised.


“Rapid population increase and infrastructural development leads to increased conflict between forest conservation and urban development.

Clearing of land for agriculture and housing, heavy browsing of young trees and veld fires also lead to trees becoming diminished,” he said.
 
The mayor said prevention of further disappearance of trees was essential to the people’s daily lives and really arouses awareness on the importance of tree planting.



He called on people to ensure that conversation of trees was part of their development activities.
 Cllr Kgalajwe said in the olden days, dikgosi selected a number of tree species and protected them by setting a set of rules in order to conserve them.


He implored the people to utilise forests wisely and report those who do not because having good legislature and regulations was not enough to sustainably manage forests and range resources.



The North East District Conservation Committee chairperson, Mr Israel Samu decried that forests in the district were likely to face extinction as a result of excessive firewood gathering.

 He called on community leaders to encourage their people to desist from indiscriminate cutting of trees for selling.

Mr Samu appealed to the day’s tree recipients to plant the trees and take good care of them.

 At the same event, 900 trees were allocated to the community while a total of 135 were planted at Mokaleng, Tatitown, Ntshe and Montsamaisa schools.   ENDS