World Agroforestry Centre boosts Billion Tree Campaign

May 8, 2007 – Staff of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya, and collaborating organizations have boosted the Billion Tree Campaign by planting 2,500 seedlings in the city’s Karura forest.

The World Agroforestry Centre invited residents of Huruma, a village on the fringes of the forest, to join the Centre’s tree planting day in the forest on Friday 4th May 2007.

ICRAF researchers have selected 15 types of indigenous trees that offer the best chance of restoring the forest to its natural state. Efforts to replant open areas with the fast-going eucalyptus have been unsuccessful because the tree is not natural to the forest. It also needs a lot of care, which is not possible in Karura.

Among those at Friday’s ceremony was the coordinator of the Billion Tree Campaign Ms. Meryem C. Amar, Kenya Forestry Service Chief David Mbugua, representatives of the Green Belt Movement and several other research institutes. ICRAF is a technical advisor to the Billion Tree Campaign.

The Centre’s Director General Dr. Dennis Garrity said the research centre had adopted the site and would plant trees every year to ensure the forest returns to its natural state.

The Urban Fire Services supported the event by using one of its fire engines to supply water to the tree planters deep in the forest.

In 1999, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Wangari Maathai led a movement by environmentalists to protest allocation of swanks of Karura forest to private developers. The protests pushed the then government to rescind the allocations and place the land under the national forestry service.

ICRAF’s vision is an agroforestry transformation in the developing world resulting in a massive increase in the use of working trees on working landscapes by smallholder rural households that helps ensure security in food, nutrition, income, health, shelter and energy and a regenerated environment.

ICRAF’s Tree and Markets team, led by Dr. Tony Simons, with the cooperation of Mr. Kennedy Olale, Ms. Anne Mbora and Mr. Jonathan Muruiki organized the tree-planting day.

I am a tree – a poem by Faith Karimi, 9 years, Class 5, Muthaiga Primary School

I am a tree
I clean the air that you give me
I provide medicine, fruits, food, honey, shelter, chairs, desks, tables, pencils, books and shade
I give habitat to wild animals, birds and other micro-organisms
I attract rain that you use to grow your crops for food and for sale
You use me to cook your food
I help to conserve your soil and water
I beautify the environment
Please plant more trees for a better life.

( Faith Karimi recited this poem during the tree-planting day).

For more information, please contact:
George N. Obanyi
ICRAF Communications team

Tel:  +254-20-722 41 67 (Direct)
        +254-20-722 40 00 (Operator)
        +254-(0)722-262622 (Mobile)