Tunisia and Morocco among top tree planters in UNEP campaign

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the success of its campaign to plant 1.0 billion trees in 2007 as an effort in fighting climate change and combating desertification. In a joint press conference with Prof. Wangari Maathai, the inspiration behind the initiative and Nobel Laureate, UNEP's Executive Directorn Achim Steiner said: "I am delighted to say that an initiative to catalyze the pledging and the planting of one billion trees has achieved and indeed surpassed its mark. It is a further sign of the breathtaking momentum witnessed this year on the challenge for this generation-climate change".

"There had been a few cynical smiles and shaking of heads when the Billion Tree Campaign was launched. Some said it would never happen, and others couldn't at first see the raison d'être. But citizen after citizen, community after community and country after country, have proved the doubters wrong and demonstrated an abiding truth in 2007," he added.

"Namely that given a focus and the chance to act, millions if not billions of people around this world want an end to pollution and environmental deterioration and have rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty to prove the point," said Mr Steiner.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder and Patron of the campaign, said: "I am elated beyond words at the global interest and action that was motivated by the Billion Tree Campaign. I knew we had it within us as a human family to rise up! We called you to action almost exactly a year ago and you responded beyond our dreams. Thank you very much! Now we must keep the pressure on and continue the good work for the planet. Plant another tree today in celebration!"

The totals of trees planted are still being collated with the numbers rising almost daily. The only two Arab countries among the top rank were Tunisia and Morocco. The top-ranking countries appear to be Ethiopia, over 700 million trees planted; Mexico, 217 million trees; Turkey, 150 million; Kenya, 100 million; Cuba, 96.5 million; Rwanda, 50 million; Republic of Korea, 43 million; Tunisia, 21 million; Morocco, 20 million; Myanmar, 20 million and Brazil, 16 million. The Green Belt Movement alone planted 4.7 million trees, double the number of trees it had initially pledged.

Read UNEP's press release here

The official website of the campaign is here

http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/