CapeNature has joined a global-urban and community greening movement called ‘Plant One Million Trees’. CapeNature staff across all landscapes have traditionally been involved in many tree planting campaigns and have done wonderful work to support schools and communities with greening initiatives. Typically, these are linked to days on the environmental calendar such as Arbour Day, Plant Appreciation Day, Biodiversity Day, Earth Day and World Environment Day. This initiative seeks to boost these successes and bring them under one banner known as the Plant a Million Trees Campaign.

On a cautionary note, while there are many initiatives around the world some have been criticised for planting trees in areas where there would not naturally have been trees, such as grasslands. This is harmful to the natural environment and should be avoided. The CapeNature Plant One Million Trees Movement will only plant locally indigenous trees or non-invasive fruit trees in appropriate areas such as schools or urban or peri-urban communal open spaces. So please do join this journey with us and help to make a positive contribution to your local community, school, or an urban park.

Arbour Day is a wonderful opportunity to plant trees and celebrate the good they give us – like shade, food, materials, habitat for small animals and of course a chance to share more information about the bountiful biodiversity of our province.