Botanical Garden’s tree initiative inspires a greener city
The campaign is encouraging residents to make tree planting and environmental conservation part of everyday life to help build greener, more climate-resilient communities.
Pretoria residents are being encouraged to play a greater role in protecting the environment through a tree planting initiative that aims to inspire long-term community involvement in urban greening and biodiversity conservation.
The campaign is led by the Green Development Foundation (GDF) in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi), Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Chery, and SHEVOLVE.
Role players used tree planting and public awareness activities to promote environmental stewardship, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation across communities.
According to GDF marketing and communications manager Dr Keneilwe Sebola, the campaign aims to remind communities that everyone has a role to play in restoring the environment through simple, practical actions.
“The power is still in our hands to make a difference in healing our planet where urbanisation and industrialisation have led to global warming,” said Sebola.
She explained that more than 70% of South Africa’s productive land is degraded, adding that planting indigenous trees and shrubs could help restore biodiversity while improving water use and replacing invasive alien species.
One of the initiative’s key tree planting activities took place at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden, where two indigenous trees were planted as part of a national relay highlighting the importance of restoring biodiversity and expanding green spaces.
The event also highlighted the cultural and environmental importance of indigenous trees.
Sebola said the manager of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden, Refilwe Malatji, shared the significance of the Common Coral (Erithrina Iysistemon).
It is traditionally regarded by many African communities as a living calendar because its bright red flowers signal the end of winter and the start of the planting season.
Public participation extended beyond tree planting. As part of the campaign, residents were encouraged to take selfies with Buti Green, the Green Development Foundation’s national greening champion, and share them on social media for an opportunity to win family tickets to botanical gardens and zoos.
Sebola said the campaign also seeks to address the effects of climate change by encouraging the planting of indigenous trees and shrubs that improve biodiversity, reduce carbon in the environment and help create cooler spaces.
The initiative sought to encourage families to spend more time in green spaces while demonstrating the value of nature in improving quality of life.
“The initiative, by giving away 67 tickets for the botanical gardens and zoos, hoped to encourage families to spend more time in green spaces to demonstrate the serenity of being in nature and highlight the importance of trees even in urban spaces,” explained Sebola.
She added that the campaign forms part of broader environmental awareness efforts focused on creating healthier and more climate-resilient communities.
Sebola said the planting of trees forms part of organisations environmental-awareness campaigns.
“In trying to heal the planet and create more climate-resilient cities, we encourage the planting of indigenous trees and shrubs like Spekboom, which also help with reducing carbon in the environment,” she added.
The campaign is expected to continue through greening initiatives, including the GDF’s upcoming Tree of Life initiative during Arbour Month, which will encourage families to plant a tree for every child born.
Sebola said the long-term goal is to build a culture where communities take ownership of protecting and restoring their environment.
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