The Billion Tree Campaign Exceeds Half Way Mark
Tree-planting pledges from around the world in support of the Billion Tree Campaign now total 562,769,095 trees. Although the campaign only started in January, over 50% of the target has been reached, following a pledge of 250 million trees by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico. Over one million trees have also been planted worldwide.
The Billion Tree Campaign, launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), under the patronage of Professor Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and HSH Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, encourages people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments to enter tree-planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide during 2007.
A number of events are scheduled to take place around the world in the coming months:
- 5 March - Launch of the Billion Tree Campaign in Brazil with Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director and the Minister of Environment, H.E. Ms. Marina Silva.
- 12 March - Professor Wangari Maathai and Jacques Rocher will announce at a press conference in Nairobi that the French botanical cosmetic company Yves Rocher will plant one million trees in 2007.
- 12-16 March - The 18th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry will host the Billion Tree Campaign exhibition in Rome.
- 14 July - The University Museum of Zoology will host the Billion Tree Campaign exhibition on Forests Day in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Information on the Billion Tree Campaign is available in Portuguese and will soon be available in Chinese on the website.