The acting MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs in Mpumalanga, Ms Busi Shiba celebrated a Provincial Arbor Day Celebration at Greendale Combined School.
The event was held at the school on Tuesday, September 21 and the environment sector stakeholders in eMalahleni had joined the celebration.
Arbor Day is a commemorative day in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. The 2021 trees of the year are the Sweet Thorn and the Spekboom.
Arbor Week is celebrated annually on the first week of September, to call on all South Africans to plant and maintain both indigenous and fruit trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management.
The aim is to create awareness about the 2 000 indigenous tree species in the country, and the role that they play in mitigating climate change, ensuring good air quality and greening our environment.
The theme of the celebration was: Giving Back to Nature – Plant a Tree. The acting MEC Shiba and stakeholders from the environmental sector took part in planting trees for two local residents in Masakhane to encourage households to green their environment.
Mr Simon Chego and Mr Phineas Phasha who received two trees each said that they were very blessed to receive trees that will bear fruits, give them shade and give them oxygen.
In her speech, the acting MEC said that tree planting is one of the mitigating factors that is recommended towards the slowing down of the environmental threads.
“It is acknowledged that tree planting programs will have to rely on supporting programs such as environmental education and awareness to inform society of the importance of the trees within the environment and their role in mitigating environmental threads,” Shiba added.
The MEC also visited the local air quality monitoring station which is situated at the school premises.
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