Lagos State Government plans to plant 500,000 trees before the end of the raining season. Lagos planted over 7.6 million trees in the last nine years.
General Manager, State’s Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Mrs. Adetoun Popoola, disclosed this in a briefing to commemorate the 2020 Tree planting day themed : “ Trees for life”.
She stressed that tree planting is a crucial part of achieving ecosystem resilience as well as one of the state’s deliberate efforts to support United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 13 to combat climate change and its impacts.
Mrs. Popoola said LASPARK in specific response to the Covid-19 pandemic will be dedicating this year planting of trees in “honour and celebration of the ‘Frontline Heroes’, who through sheer dedication, compassion and strength are risking their lives every day to flatten the curve of the pandemic and keep us safe.”
To this end, the state, she said, will be adopting four isolation centres as ceremonial sites for this year’s planting day as theses locations are significant in view of the theme: ‘Trees for Life’.
LASPARK boss said, trees will also be simultaneously planted in all 57 local councils and development areas, while the Lagos States Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Environmental Agencies of government and other friends of the environment will also be marking the day by planting trees in various locations across the state.
Mrs. Popoola, who said the agency has also adopted online competition where children between ages of four and 12 are to draw, paint and write about their own interpretation of this year theme, Trees of Life.
She further encouraged individuals and organisations to plant as the agency has commenced distribution of free trees seedlings to all representatives of the 57 LGAs and LCDAs as we;; as partnering with the state Coconut Development Authority (LASCODA) to encourage the planting of urban-friendly coconut trees as part of the state’s coconuts renewal initiative to maximize their economic and environmental benefits.
