Fight against climate change: Environment department launches one million trees campaign
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) launched the one million trees campaign at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens under the banner” My tree, my oxygen, plant yours today”.
Launched on Monday, the campaign aims to encourage South Africans to plant trees with the intention of preserving biodiversity and mitigating the impact of climate change.
The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts said everyone has a responsibility of contributing to the cause of planting trees as they are suppliers of oxygen.
“The country has borne the brunt of climate change and the resultant devastation it causes in communities and economies. We have witnessed fires, deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, and prolonged droughts. These events underscore our shared vulnerability, but also our shared responsibility to act, to adapt, and to do so in a way that leaves no one behind.
We have made a plea to our traditional leaders to not harm trees for whatever reason, because sometimes one just needs the leaves, or the bark, not the root, they don’t need to harm the tree,” said Swarts.
According to Global Forest Watch, South Africa lost 10% of its humid primary forest from 2002 to 2024.
Further information from Climate Home News indicated that global deforestation reached record highs in 2024 with climate change driving the charge. 6.7 million hectares of primary tropical forest were lost, which is nearly double the loss compared to 2023.
Tree planting is one of the mitigating factors that are recommended to slow down this environmental threat. It is for this reason that the department is pursuing the coordination and implementation of the National Greening Programme, remarked Swarts.
The country hosted the second African Forum on Urban Forestry from the 18th to the 21st March 2025 and the International Day of Forests, where 2,000 trees were planted at Diepsloot.
Swarts outlined that they have chosen to plant one million trees on 24th September 2025 as the country commemorates Heritage Day.
Meanwhile, Tshwane MMC for Environment, Obakeng Ramabodu indicated that they have embarked on a process of cleaning the city and are exhausting all available avenues to keep it clean.
Ramabodu remarked that the City of Tshwane fully supports the government initiative, citing that the planting of trees makes the environment cleaner and safer for everyone.
“This is a people’s programme, it does not need any political affiliation, it would be good to see our townships get a facelift and look as aesthetically appealing as the suburbs and parts of the inner city, looking clean and with trees.
“Please stop peeing on the streets and please stop littering, we are in the process of getting our city clean and we want to keep it that way,” he added.
IOL News