Ankara:World leaders will participate in planting olive saplings at the COP31 climate summit in Trkiye on November 11 to commemorate National Afforestation Day. In conjunction, new peace forests will be established across the country's 81 provinces, as announced by a senior forestry official.
According to Anadolu Agency, Bekir Karacabey, the director general of forestry, stated that National Afforestation Day was declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2019. Since its inception, hundreds of millions of saplings have been planted across Trkiye. This year's events, under the slogan 'Breath for the Future, Peace for the World,' coincide with the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).
On November 11, President Erdogan, along with the UN secretary-general and the Australian prime minister, will plant olive saplings at the COP venue. The establishment of peace forests in all 81 provinces aims to initiate the creation of carbon sink forests.
Karacabey highlighted that citizens could actively participate in afforestation activities across all provinces. The planting locations will be announced on the 'Gelecege Nefes' (Breath for the Future) website, allowing those unable to attend in person to adopt saplings free of charge. The initiative encourages citizens to contribute by planting or adopting a sapling, reinforcing the message that individual actions significantly impact forest preservation.
The success of these efforts is measured not only by the number of saplings planted but also by their survival rates. The forestry department monitors the development of saplings through field inspections and undertakes maintenance and replacement planting as necessary. Ecological suitability and biodiversity are prioritized in these afforestation projects.
Karacabey emphasized the importance of protecting forests, linking it to individual behavior and urging citizens to prevent forest fires. He stressed, "We ask all our citizens not to say, 'What can I do on my own?' Yes, they can do a great deal. If they protect our forests, our forests will not burn."
Current figures indicate that approximately 1,855,735 saplings are expected to be planted across 2,301 hectares (5,686 acres) at 756 locations nationwide, with around 301,000 people anticipated to participate in the events.