Laying down Roots
Teachers and children at the Iskele Municipality Yuvam Anakucagi planted citrus and olive saplings in the garden of their school as part of the UN's International Day of Forests.
President Ersin Tatar took part in a tree planting event in Erenkoy, where a total of 1,571 saplings were planted ,
A TOTAL of 1,571 saplings have been planted in the TRNC exclave of Erenköy to mark the International Day of Forests – and the year of the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus.
President Ersin Tatar, who travelled to Erenköy by boat from Girne last weekend, took part in the event at the “1571 Forest”, which was held as part of a protocol signed between the Forestry Department and the North Cyprus Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage.
Erenköy, which today is a military base, is where Turkish Cypriots put up a brave resistance against Greek Cypriot attacks in August 1964. Mr Tatar also paid his respects to the martyrs buried there, laying flowers at their graves and reciting prayers.
Mr Tatar also took part in the planting of saplings and building of bird nests in Kalkanlı, the scene of a terrible fire in May 2020.
He highlighted the importance of reforestation and referred to the huge fire that devastated western parts of the TRNC as a “catastrophe” that “greatly saddened” the country.
Some 7,500 dönüms of woodland were lost in the inferno that started in the Tepebaşı area and spread to Kalkanlı and the Middle East Technical University’s (METU) grounds. Mr
Tatar said that he was at METU at the time and watched fire fighters battle to extinguish the blaze. He once again thanked everyone who contributed towards putting out the fire.
Referring to forests as “our greatest assets” the President said that protecting the TRNC’s forests and reforestation are “a national duty for everybody”.
He expressed his gratitude to Turkey, which “gifted the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 400,000 saplings” this year.
At least 30 per cent of North Cyprus should consist of forests for “the future of the country”, Mr
Tatar continued, as forests “provide us with oxygen” but this can “only be achieved if we have adequate number of trees and productive forests”.
He summarised the significance of the day with the following words: “We are protecting our homeland, [and] Erenköy, today with this reforestation activity.
“We are preparing Erenköy for the future by protecting the environment . . . Today, we all commemorate the Erenköy Resistance here.”