11 MILLION NEW TREES ARE BEING PLANTED IN TURKEY
Turkey, which has made a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by planting trees, will plant 11 million saplings on November 11, 2019, at 11:11 a.m. This will take place at 2023 different spots in 81 cities.
Environmental issues are one of the most important topics in today’s world. Unfortunately, today there is no country developing, modernizing, and growing without putting pressure on the environment. Like every country that focuses on industry and technology, Turkey is affected by environmental problems caused by development process that has an impact on natural resources and nature.
In addition, particularly in Turkey, young people are becoming more aware of the environment and aware of the environment and the related problems. The Turkish state prioritizing environmental issues is one of the important factors that enables the country to deal with environment issues in a more decisive and rapid manner.
The General Directorate of Forestry, which operates under the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, today employs over 40,000 personnel who work to protect and develop the forests and forestry resources in this country. In addition to working in Turkey, the General Directorate of Forestry gives support to forestry activities in surrounding countries on three continents.
Turkey, which has led the way in enriching forestry as an example to the world, has launched a major campaign that will once again be exemplary for the rest of the world in raising social awareness on planting trees and forests. On November 11, 2019, at 11.11 a.m., the General Directorate of Forestry of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will coordinate the planting of 11 million saplings at 2023 points in 81 provinces in a space of three hours.
This tree-planting campaign, which will put Turkey in the Guinness Book of World Records, is called the “Breath of the Future.” Children that grow up with awareness of planting trees by planting saplings, digging the earth, and understanding its importance, will be a source of fresh air for future generations.
Dr. Bekir Pakdemirli: Turkey Is one of the Rare Countries that is Increasing its Forests
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Bekir Pakdemirli believes that the “Breath of the Future” campaign will raise awareness in Turkey of the importance of trees and forests, and will create sensitivity among future generations concerning the importance of the environment:
“According to the enviroment report ‘Evaluation of Global Forest Resources’ by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), the forests in the world are rapidly decreasing; however, at the same time, Turkey is one of the rare countries that is increasing its forests. The forests in Turkey are increasing at a regular pace every year. In 1999, there were 20.8 million hectares of forests; in 2018, this has reached 22.6 million hectares. In the last 20 years, while the presence of forests is diminishing throughout the world, Turkey has managed to increase its forests by 2 million hectares.
Our children, our grandchildren and their children, and all the creatures living in the natural environment will be able to fill their lungs with clean air in a cleaner Turkey thanks to the saplings that will be planted on November 11. The most valuable inheritance we can leave our children and our grandchildren are the trees that we plant today.”