POLOKWANE – Polokwane Municipality was once again given the nod at national level for its efforts of championing the promotion of a greener environment by obtaining second position in the 2017 National Arbor City Awards.
The competition is run by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and supported by TOTAL South Africa and the Institute for Environment and Recreation Management (IERM). Both local and metropolitan municipalities were assessed on their efforts towards the promotion of a green environment within their areas of jurisdiction.
Disree Manyane, Stakeholder Relations Officer of the Polokwane Municipality said the National Arbor Awards competition seeks to promote environmental conservation by securing a healthy living environment for residents in all settlement areas.
“These also include expanding the greening and other landscape developments from the past focus on towns and suburbs to cater townships and settlements areas. Street trees, recreational parks and physical training and gym facilities are considered to be rewarding in promoting healthy living and long life to local residents.”
Municipalities are already adopting to mitigation strategies and adapt to action towards the effects of global warming that poses threat to the environment. This is achieved through tree planting which forms the basis of Arbor City Awards which is recommended towards the slowing down of this environmental threat.
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Other initiatives supporting the Arbor Week campaign and Million Trees Programme are environmental education that inform and educate society in general about the importance of the trees within the environment and their role in mitigating environmental threats.
The local municipality has been donating and planting trees in schools and households as part of greening initiatives and creating green landscape within the city and malls entrances. The municipality is also maintaining municipal recreational parks for leisure and relaxation purposes.
