In a bid to contain the effects of desertification and climate change in the country, the Mennonite Educational and Horticultural Development Associates (MEHDA), in collaboration with the Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET) Committee on Climate Change, on Thursday, embarked on a massive tree-planting exercise.

Held at Pirang village, the environmental campaign was punctuated with the planting of 1000 trees. Mahogany and gmelina were the two kind of spices planted In his address, Daouda Niang of ASSET seized the opportunity to give an overview of the project and initiatives that have been undertaken in the environment sector. He then explained the reasons why they decided to include mahogany trees in the tree planting exercise.

According to him, researches have shown that mahogany trees are among the endangered spices. He pointed out that the call made by the Department of Forestry that people have to plant trees everywhere needs to be followed.

For his part, Reni Obbes, proprietor of TravelPort, who sponsored the tree planting exercise, said he is happy to be associated with such an initiative, noting that despite being business people, they are environmentally minded.

He also pointed out that the protection of the environment should be a moral obligation, as we should allow future generations to live in a better world.

Participants from various environmental groups in the country graced the occasion, as it marked an important step in the fight against desertification.