The Directorate General of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries plans to plant, soon, 2 million trees in the areas most affected by fires in the summer of 2021, green areas, gardens and parks and within institutions especially educational and health.
This participatory campaign will reach the four corners of the country, in cooperation with the civil society and organisations.
Speaking at a press conference held Tuesday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Director General of Forestry Fatine El Iich said this initiative is part of a national campaign of reforestation that coincides with the celebration of National Tree day and that will start November 14, 2021 and run until the end of March 2022.
El ïich added that the Department of Agriculture will provide 2 million seedlings distributed free of charge to businesses and citizens.
The burnt forest areas saw an increase of 322%, until August 2021, compared to the same period of 2020, despite the decline in the number of fires by 25%, according to statistics published by the National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).
Indeed, 274 fires have been recorded from the beginning of the year until August 20, 2021, or an area of 9,158.2 hectares (ha) of forests burnt, against 365 fires (2,169 ha), during the same period of 2020.
These areas are added to 14122 ha of forests burnt in closed military zones (June 20 to July 2, 2021), knowing that the burnt areas represent a total of 23280 ha, or 2.04% of the total forest area in Tunisia.
Source: Tap News Agency