UNDP to support Niger communities in tree planting

Following the continued felling of valuable trees, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)  has promised to support NGOs and communities on tree planting.

According to the Niger state UNDP Coordinator, Alhaji Baba Wachiko, planting of trees is the most valuable activity to protect the environment which is gradually experiencing a depleting event of trees.

Speaking during a Seedling Give Away programme by the Christian Rural and Urban Development Association of Nigeria (CRUDAN) in Kampala, Bosso local government area of Niger state, Wachiko urged communities to protect their environment by avoiding continuous tree felling without replanting new ones.

“If you protect the environment, you will protect your life and you can only protect it by avoiding tree felling. Planting of trees is one of the most valuable things to protect the community and environment even though people have continued indiscriminate felling of trees.”

He then urged the communities to nurture the seedlings they were given, “you have to guard and nurture the seedlings jealously. It is not planting that matters but the nurturing. If you nurture it well, your community will benefit enormously from it. ”

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Wachiko then called on government and other NGOs to work towards protecting the environment, “we are ready to support any community or NGO on this.”

The state Coordinator of CRUDAN, David Yisa said that the decision of planting the trees was taken because of the need to protect the environment which is currently experiencing depletion of trees, “the project is meant to help communities plant trees deliberately.”

He said that 200 seedlings of Leuceana Leucocephala which in Hausa is known as Lukina waa given to the community.

According to him, the trees when it is grown would increase forest resources, livestock feed and industrial use to create income for poor households.

 

 

 

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