FOUR years ago President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the One Million Trees campaign with an aim to mobilise South Africans to play their part for the environment.

The campaign encouraged South Africans to take responsibility by planting trees and to create awareness on the importance of planting trees.

One person who has taken this initiative to heart is Ellysa Entwistle.

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Entwistle has actively planted trees in her own garden and the Seaton Park Nature Reserve, and in years gone by she joined environmental organisation, Enviro Fixers Durban North, who have planted hundreds of trees across the Ward.

The mass planting campaign has been a way of increasing biodiversity, protecting soil from erosion and providing food for a vast range of animals and birdlife.

“My parents have always been environmentally conscious and that rubbed off on me. That also set me on a journey to plant as many indigenous trees as I can. Sadly what I see across the city is people cutting down trees and just barren landscapes. There are also less trees to hold the soil together and ultimately our biodiversity is hurt. On Lothian Road alone we’ve planted around 20 trees in the Seaton Park Nature Reserve.

“For me anything is better than nothing so I encourage residents to plant at least one tree in their garden or any green space. Part of why I love volunteering with Enviro Fixers is their focus on indigenous and greening initiatives. I also actively think of the future generations when it comes to planting trees. I’m a mother to a young son and I want to lead by example and leave a green future behind for him. We are losing so many green spaces and I feel initiatives like the One Million Trees campaign are needed,” she said.

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