Green
Up 10,000, a national youth-led tree planting initiative, has rolled out its
first major campaign on Saturday 8 October 2016, with the planting of one
thousand and hundred (1,100) trees in Medina Mennen village in the North Bank
Region.
The
tree-planting exercise came a few weeks after the colourful unveiling of a
project that targets to plant 10,000 trees across The Gambia.
The
Green Up project is co-implemented by Climate Watch-The Gambia (CWG) and Youth
Action for Sustainable Development.
Launched
by the Executive Director of the National Youth Council on 16 September 2016,
in Kotu, the project was conceived by a group of thoughtful and
environmentally-concerned youths, who have the foresight to address the adverse
effects of climate change and environmental degradation, restore our forest
cover and create a friendly environment for human existence.
Held
on the theme: “Climate Change is real, Act now!”, the monumental event garnered
the support and attracted the participation of members of the Village
Development Committee, traditional and school authorities, youths and the
womenfolk, in what become a remarkable cause as the villagers saw the need to
mitigate climate change and related impacts on their environment.
A
major highlight of the exercise and key component of the initiative is
environmental and climate change awareness education, that was held before the
tree-planting activity.
In this programme, villagers were enlightened
about climate change issues, and the need to put their weight behind the
project in ensuring a more sustainable environment.
The
Alkalo of the village, Momodou Jallow, welcomed the Green Up officials, and
said the village attaches a lot of significance to trees.
He thanked the team for choosing their
settlement as a beneficiary, and called on Green Up and other stakeholders to
help the village with more water supply, as the village is hindered by
inadequate water supply.
Speaking
at the event, Amadou Jallow, the chairman of Village Development Committee
(VDC) and focal person of the Green Up initiative in Lower Niumi, hailed the
efforts of the Green Up project for bringing the project to their village.
Jallow
also commended the women of the village for their massive turnout and participation
in the project.
He
assured the Green Up team of his committee’s commitment to meeting the
objectives of the project.
The
project manager of Green Up 10,000, Kemo Fatty, said the project came up as a
result of the need to address impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of
the locals, as agriculture is the prevailing economic activity across the
country.
“Since
we don’t have much access to renewable energy and expensive irrigation
mechanisms, we need to resort to simple actions like planting trees as we have
a three-month-long rainfall season.
“Based
on scientific reasoning, the rainfall pattern is expected to fall by 50% in
2020 and this is an alarming situation for us,” he added.
Fatty
urged the youths to stand up and mitigate the impacts of climate change within
their environments.
Fatty
added that the Green Up project was launched in September 16, which coincided
with the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
“These
trees planted have numerous benefits to the environment and the community at
large. The rainfall pattern has changed as we experience a shorter rainfall
spell. The fishermen suffer as fish move to a cooler environment because of the
heat - all these are effects and impacts of climate change,’’ he continued.
Fatty
called on the villagers to take climate change seriously, as it threatens our
existence as a people.
VDC
secretary general Amadou Jallow said the project is timely, and would go a long
way to preserving the forest therein mitigating climate change problems.
Jallow
reiterated that the villagers appreciate and welcome the project.
Saikou
Suwareh Jabai, executive director of Climate Watch-The Gambia (CWG) and Green
Up coordinator, recalled that over the last few years, the forest cover and
number of trees in The Gambia has significantly reduced.
This,
he added, has resulted in loss of biodiversity and severe land degradation, due
to soil erosion and loss of fertility.
He
decried that our areas which used to be very fertile are now barren, and that
the overall agricultural productivity has declined dramatically which is
impeding our development as a country.
Jabai,
who outlined the project’s objectives, urged the villagers to ensure the
protection of the trees for a sustainable environment.
He
commended the villagers for their hospitality, and said the project also marks
the beginning of a relationship between the two parties.
Green
Up Advocacy and Education Officer, Omar Malmo Sambou, said the importance of
planting trees could not be overemphasized, as they help to protect the
environment in many ways.
‘’They
serve as medicines and carbon sinks, absorb the carbon dioxide during
photosynthesis process,’’ he noted.
Malmo,
who doubles as the programme manager of Climate Watch- The Gambia (CWG), stated
that agricultural production in rain-fed nations is expected to fall by 50% in
2020 across developing countries, and The Gambia is not an exception to such,”
he said, adding that activities like tree-planting engagements could help to
better the situation.
He
said there is a growing concern about the impacts of climate change, and this
has brought about sea-level rise, salt water intrusion, cancers, and cataract,
and that our foods and security as humans is under great threat.
