In just one day, more than a thousand cork oaks were planted in the Serra do Caldeirão, but Loulé doesn't plan on staying here and has pledged not to stop until the goal of the “Life Terra” project is reached, that of planting a tree for every European citizen.
On Tuesday, Day of the Autochthonous Forest, the Municipality of Loulé invested in afforestation and took the opportunity to join the European movement “Life Terra”, by signing a protocol with the association Naturaleza y Hombre.
“The aim is to restore and promote the link between society and nature, facilitating the planting of trees and empowering citizens with the knowledge, technology and tools needed to respond to climate change,” describes Loulé City Council.
“This project aims to plant 500 million trees, in other words, one tree for every European. Basically, it is a project for environmental awareness, for mobilizing people around the idea of afforestation. We are living in a crisis and the only way to solve it is to mobilize people… And a project that has a goal of this dimension is, in itself, a project that mobilizes people», explained Carlos Rio Carvalho, national representative of the project.
More than just planting, the promoters of Life Terra” want “to have physical results in the number of trees left in the land”. The objective is to promote the growth of wooded areas «through sustainable reforestation practices and the testing of the “track your tree” technology, with an application that will allow monitoring the survival of trees and the growth of wooded areas” .
«The “Life Terra” carries the message, amplifying it. It communicates, using the communication channels it has to, instead of reaching a more limited number of people, reach the whole of Europe. And then help in whatever you can», whether by providing trees or organizing and strengthening the network of volunteers.
“What we did today is a great start. We need many more municipalities that look forward like Loulé, that get involved and make their citizens get involved too», considered Sven Kallen, founder and general director of the movement, adding that, at the moment, the project is operating in 10 European countries and that the idea is to expand this network.
Carlos Carmo, councilor of the Chamber, considered that Loulé wins with this protocol, not least because it will “communicate all over the world its good practices in terms of the maintenance and preservation of biodiversity and in raising citizens' awareness of the importance of sustainability and preservation of our biodiversity, in this specific case with the increase in the number of trees in our territory and their role in the ecosystem and in the fight against climate change».
Tuesday's afforestation action is one of the examples of what the Loulé autarchy has been doing, in this specific case, with the help of «employees from various services in the Municipality, Civil Protection and Firefighters, Sapadores Florestais, the Producers Association Florestais da Serra do Caldeirão, as well as representatives of ICNF, political parties and parish councils, some volunteers and members of the municipal executive».
The action came “following the protocol with the ICNF in May, with a view to planting thousands of trees in the next 5 years”, specimens that will come directly from the institute's nurseries, according to Carlos Carmo.
Photos: Loulé Chamber
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