São Paulo – The Comoros Islands, an Arab nation located in the Indian Ocean, in South Africa, is going to implement an afforestation plan. According to the vice president of the Union of the Comoros, Idi Nadhoim, 254,640 trees will be planted in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The information was supplied by the African news agency Panapress.
"Deforestation is a catastrophe," said Nadhoim, who is also the minister of Agriculture and Environment of the Comoros, before planting the first tree at the programme’s launch in the country’s capital, Moroni, last week.
The nationwide afforestation campaign provides for the planting of 166,000 non-fruit bearing trees. The remaining ones will be fruit-bearing. At the programme’s launch, the people of the country were summoned to plant trees and also help preserve them.
"We must also protect these trees," said Nadhoim. Along similar lines, the UNDP resident representative in the Comoros, Ibrahim Djibo, talked about the importance of trees in fighting climate change.
A total of 250 hectares should be afforested. According to the Panapress, the country loses 500 hectares of trees each year.
The Comoros has 773,000 inhabitants and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 531 million. The country is comprised of three islands. Their main activity are agriculture, including fishing, hunting and silviculture. The sector contributes 40% of the GDP and employs 80% of the local labour force. The country exports agricultural products such as vanilla, clove, and ylang-ylang.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
