World Day to CDD: MoNREC UM joined the tree planting

Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi and Magway Region Chief Minister U Tint Lwin attended a tree planting ceremony at Magway Teaching Hospital on Monday.

The event is held in commemoration of World Day to Combat the Desertification and Drought on July 17th. First, the Union Minister and the Chief Minister presented saplings to the Rector of University of Medicine (Magway) and the Superintendent of the Teaching Hospital, proceeding to plant Neem trees in the designated areas.

Subsequently, they toured the trees plantation alongside other participants. About 750 Neem and star flower saplings were planted during this mass movement of tree planting event.

Speaking at the event, the Union Minister highlighted that Myanmar's central tropical region, comprising approximately 20 percent of the country's total area, is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and Shan Yoma mountain ranges. This geographic location results in a rain shadow effect, leading to significantly lower annual rainfall compared to other regions, averaging less than 40 inches annually. He further noted that the harsh climate in this area has caused topsoil erosion, resulting in land degradation and reduced crop yields.

The Union Minister emphasized that planting trees represents the most effective natural response to mitigate the impacts of climate change currently affecting the region. And, the Chief Minister encouraged all to join in climate change mitigation efforts.

Then, the Director General of the Dry Zone Greening Department presented an overview of World Desertification and Drought Day.

Subsequently, the Union Minister and Chief Minister awarded the winners of the university-level article and high school-level essay competitions held in commemoration of the day, toured the displayed commemorative posters and provided a briefing.

In the afternoon, the Union Minister inspected tree planting along the Meiktila-Kyaukpadaung Expressway, assessed the land reclamation and provided the necessary instructions. And, the Union Minister conducted a tour of the greening and beautification efforts at Turin Mountain, along with land reclamation initiatives, providing instructions in response to the reports presented by officials.