PAYNESVILLE – The Forestry Training Institute, in line with its green corridor project, officially initiated the planting of 3,000 trees in Paynesville City, Montserrado County on Friday.
By Fatu Kamara, contributing writer
This initiative is being implemented under UNDP Climate Promise with funding from the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The tree-planting endeavor, as explained by the Executive Director of FTI, Joel Gamys, aims to bolster climate change mitigation efforts in Liberia.
This pilot project is set to be implemented in 20 communities within the City of Paynesville, with each community receiving 150 newly planted trees.
Gamys went on to highlight that the National Determined Contribution (NDC) designates five cities for this initiative. The pilot in Paynesville, Gamys noted, will serve as a platform to understand the challenges encountered, paving the way for the remaining four cities, which include Monrovia, Buchannan, Gbarnga, and Ganta.
Hawa Dunbar, the Human Resource Officer at the Paynesville City Corporation, expressed her delight in Paynesville’s selection as the pilot city on behalf of Mayor Pam Belcher Taylor. She extended her gratitude to FTI for their proactive approach. Mrs. Dunbar, who planted the project’s inaugural tree in the Shara Community, Duport Road, Paynesville, described this initiative as a historic moment for Liberia, coinciding with the global endeavor to plant one trillion trees by 2030.
The launching event brought together representatives from the FAO, GIZ, the Society for the Conservation of Nature, community chairpersons from various neighborhoods in Paynesville, and numerous city residents.
The “green corridor” concept entails a narrow strip of urban land characterized by diverse vegetation and a variety of tree species.
