Tree -planting activities mark Environment Day

About 150 ghaf trees were planted in Mushrif Park yesterday to mark World Environment Day 2011 by Dubai Municipality, in cooperation with the Environmental Centre for Arab Towns and Panasonic Middle East. The Municipality believes in the importance of environmental awareness and wants to define its role in environmental protection and conservation to achieve sustainability and real development, said Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality. The tree-planting event was organised to match the theme of WED 2011, ‘Forests: Nature at your service', said Mohammad Nouri, Director of the Environmental Centre for Arab Towns. "The event aims to enable people to achieve sustainable and equitable development and reinforce the society's role in changing the behaviour and negative habits in dealing with the environment, as well as to stimulate the principle of joint work for a better future," he said. WED 2011 also comes during the UN-declared International Year of the Forests, which is partly focused on the critical links between forests and the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy. "WED 2011 comes precisely 12 months before the Rio+20 meeting in Brazil next year where the world will come together to try and forge a new and more decisive response to the sustainable development challenge of the 21st century," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director. "The Green Economy initiative has identified forestry as one of the ten central sectors capable of propelling a transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, employment-generating future if backed by investment and forward-looking policies," he added. According to a report by UNEP, investing an additional $40 billion (Dh146.8 billion) a year in the forestry sector could halve deforestation rates by 2030, increase rates of tree planting by around 140 per cent by 2050, and catalyse the creation of millions of new jobs. Dubai Investments Park (DIP) unveiled a 15,395 square metre community park within its complex to mark World Environment Day. The new public park is located near the new headquarters of DIP and has 505.56 metres of jogging track, cycling track, shaded seating and play areas, as well as barbeque areas and refreshment kiosks. At the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR) native trees were planted in the park, a quiz for staff members and a dedicated training session was held as part of the ongoing Product Knowledge Series organised by the AWPR Learning and Development team. The Ministry of Environment and Water and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority hosted an educational exhibition and workshop at Dubai Mall to encourage children and parents to come together in supporting the cause of sustaining a greener future. From / Gulf News