Background

The Million Trees (Forest) Project & Network (French: Projet et réseau mondial de million d'arbres, Spanish: Proyecto y la red global de un millón de árboles, German: Millionen Bäume Projekt und Netzwerk, Chinese: 百萬森林植樹計劃，部分地區亦稱作百萬樹木計劃，百萬植樹計劃或百萬種樹計劃 ) is a forest project originally established by the United Nations Environment Programme (French: Programme des Nations Unies pour l'Environnement, PNUE / English: UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme). The main goals of the project are to prevent desertification, plant forests, create oases, and provide education on environmental sustainable development. These projects are used to mitigate the environmental problems caused by global warming. The Million Trees (Forest) Project is another evolution of the Billion Trees Campaign launched in 2006, while the "Planet for the planet" program is a follow-up unit established in 2011-12 after the Million Trees (Forest) Project; all three projects were initiated by UNEP in 2006, 2009 and 2011 respectively.

One of the core goals of the International Million Trees (Forest) Project is: "Although tree planting is important and one of the most important actions in ecological conservation and reducing the greenhouse effect, tree planting does not directly mean that ecological conservation has been completed, because the primary task of ecological conservation is to maintain biodiversity, not just greening."

Between 2006 and 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme launched the "Billion Trees Campaign (French: La campagne pour un milliard d'arbres; Chinese: 十億樹木行動)", the "Million Trees (Forest) Project (French: Projet de million d'arbres mondial; Chinese: 百萬森林計劃)" and the "Plant-for-the-planet (French: Plantons pour la planète; Chinese: 地球植林計劃)" programmes, etc., and has been carrying out afforestation, anti-desertification, wetland and farmland protection and other work in different parts of the world, with remarkable results.

Over the past decade, the Billion Trees Initiative and the subsequent Million Forests Project have been used to prevent desertification, plant trees and create new oases in desert areas such as western China, Mongolia, Arabia, and northern Africa, rebuild homes for indigenous peoples, and maintain regional peace. Since 2009, under the advocacy of the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Earth Day Committee, a new round of global "Million Trees (Forests) Project" has been launched to carry out afforestation and environmental sustainable development education work in areas in need. These areas include former landfills, post-wildfire restoration sites, green conservation areas, restored wetlands, post-deforestation restoration sites, buffer zones between urban and suburban areas, areas that have been developed or mined, semi-desertified areas, the periphery of established oasis areas, reclaimed wasteland, and production sites included in self-help programs.

Under the initiation of the World Earth Day Committee, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) started the Million Trees (Forest) Project (MTP) across the globe in August 2009 for anti-desertification, reforestation and sustainable education efforts in former landfills, restored areas after hill fires, conservation sanctuaries, restored wetlands, semi-desertified areas, etc. The Project aims to ease the environmental problems global warming brings about. The Project initially targeted at planting a million trees for easing the ecological environment in each low-income regions and improving the livelihood of people there, but it has been extended to encompass reforestation, cultivation, cultural conservation and sustainable development efforts nowadays.

With over a hundred participating countries and regions around the world, the Million Trees (Forest) Project is supported across the globe, planting over a hundred million trees worldwide every year. The theme of the Million Trees (Forest) Project in the Asia-Pacific region is "the climate to save the future". Hong Kong's endorsement in the Million Trees (Forest) Project since 2010 marks the city's first participation in international tree plantation activities. A regional committee was established in June of the same year for afforestation in the city and cooperation, realizing efforts in conservation, education and sustainable development in cooperation with other regional Million Trees (Forest) Project committees, the Earth Day Network (EDN) and the World Wetland Network (WWN).

The Million Trees (Forest) Project Committee of Hong Kong is mainly formed by the Hong Kong Green Nature Union and its sub-charity unit - HIMA Foundation Hong Kong. From June 2010 to June 2024, the Million Trees (Forest) Project Committee of Hong Kong has organized 9 large “international trees planting and conservation day” activities in Hong Kong, and 8 local medium-size afforestation activities, and about 410 trees planting and conservation workshops, about 2100 times routine trees conservation works, courses on agricultural land rehabilitation, sustainable development education, 50 youth ambassadors training and exchange courses and programmes, assisting the overseas anti-desertification (like in Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Arabic etc) in which over 40,000 people and 550 corporates, community centers, educational institutes and government departments have taken part in, and have already planted more than 50,000 native trees in Hong Kong, and also over 60,000 trees has been planted in the other regions by our committee helpers and participants.

"International Million Trees (Forest) Project & Network" has been established since 2009-10 on five continents around the world in different countries, regions and cities, and the participating cities and regions more than one hundred nowadays, hundred millions of trees have been planted in each year on the earth, it was a part of the United Nations Environment Programme "Billion Trees Campaign". United Nations Environment Programme announced in 2006, to hold the "La campagne de milliard d'arbres / The Billion Tree Campaign", the target is to plant one billion trees around the world to address climate change issues during 2007. In August 2009, United Nations Environment Programme, the World Earth Day Committee and other advocates, had launched a new global tree-planting activities ─ "International Million Trees (Forest) Programme” , planting millions of trees in the areas of desertification, climate poor areas etc. to help improve the ecological environment and population to increase their revenue. Since the launch of the program, has got five continents and more than a hundred cities' support and participation, including Hong Kong, hundred millions of trees have been planted and conserved in each year in different regions, and covers the scope of the scheme has been extended to trees planting, organic agriculture and cultivation, cultural conservation sustainable development and environmental education levels. Over the past few years, the "Billion Tree Campaign" and the "Million Trees (Forest) Programme" for the western China, Mongolia, Arabia, North Africa and other desert regions, has executed the works of anti desertification, afforestation and create new oasis for the indigenous residents to rebuild their homes, and maintain regional peace. In April 2000, in Taipei and Shanghai, a "Million Trees (Forest) Programme – Ten thousands people planting day" has been held and has been broken the day of the most people involved in tree planting activities within one day in the Guinness record. In 2011, there are more than one hundred regions and cities also participated in the "Million Trees ( Forest ) Programme" tree planting and conservation activities worldwide; on December of the same year, the United Nations Environment Programme "La campagne de milliard d'arbres / The Billion Tree Campaign" was reorganized as "Plantons pour la planete / Plant for the planet", while the "Million Trees ( Forest ) Project & Network" program is continued to operate independently by the different countries or regions so far.

Your participation today is only the start; the campaign has to be sustained over decades. Thus, every time after our large-scale afforestation activities, we accept application for trees planting and conservation workshops from various organizations in order to support our long-term restoration and education efforts. As environmental protection is an indefinite challenge for our conscience, perseverance and aspiration which takes continual efforts, every of our project, from those on plant nursing, anti-desertification, organic farming to those on renewable energy and sustainable development education, are long-term commitment without a definite ending date. Your support to us will contribute greatly to our environmental efforts in Hong Kong.

In 2015, the project's headquarters in Europe decided to launch a second "Billion Tree Campaign" after 2016, including the "Million Trees (Forest) Project" and "Plant-for-the-planet" program in various regions. (The first Billion Tree Campaign was carried out globally between 2006 and 2015, and in conjunction with regional Million Trees (Forest) Projects, it is estimated that the project has planted more than 2.5 billion native trees around the world.)

As 2011 is the United Nations' International Year of Forests, with the promotion of various regions, the "Million Trees (Forest) Project" began to be prepared in different regions around the world in 2009. The Hong Kong region officially established a regional committee and held related afforestation and conservation activities since 2010 (but other afforestation and conservation activities had already started since 2005); and in April 2011, a global action to plant one million trees was carried out in about 100 cities around the world. From 2009 to 2023, the Million Trees (Forest) Project units around the world have planted millions of trees in all five continents.

Main aims and targets

- Encourage to appreciate, protect and treasure our natural environment. Through the inspiration during the outdoor activities, let the people understand the fascinating and treasure of the great nature.
- Encourage the team-works and cooperation spirit each other, and let people understand the importance of friendship through the activities.
- Let the youth wider their sight, contact the things which forgotten by the society, and enhancing their interesting on geography and eco-environment knowledge.
- Hope the people can look for their personal spaces and interesting on the outdoor activities through different functions, and perform their advantages.
- Hope all members can through the activities understand and know the importance of environmental conservation.
- Through the works in the organization, let the members absorb different working experience and training their abilities on meeting any emergencies.
- Encourage the youth on thinking, learning to analyze different difficulties, and training their manner on handle different things.
- To encourage solidarity, mutual assistance and cooperation, and to make more people understand the importance of cherishing the natural environment and friendship through activities, inspections and courses.
- Promote the balanced development of greening work and environmental sustainability, and work together with international green organizations to fight climate change, reduce carbon emissions, fight desertification, fight deforestation and prevent pollutants from entering natural habitats.
- Encourage the preservation of existing cultural heritage, which is also part of the human habitat.
- Maintain close international links to jointly promote environmental conservation education and publicity, so as to influence the next generation's concept of protecting the natural environment.

Main objectives

- A global mission - It was the first international reforestation and forest conservation project,
- Integrative education, ecotourism, and reforestation,
- Aiming at reforestation, combating desertification, protecting civilization, and pedagogy,
- Initiated and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Earth Day Network (EDN), and the World Wetlands Network (WWN).
- Held in over 100 cities and regions worldwide in April 2010 and April 2011; around Earth Day.

最後更新 / dernière mise à jour / Last Updated : 06/2024

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