Expectations were high when the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as “International Year of Forest,” having in mind the social, economic and cultural roles that the forests play in communities around the world in the context of global warming, climate change and agricultural development.

As such, it was with strong determination that members of the African Union Commission (AUC) on March 3 marked the ninth Africa Environment Day with the theme: “Forest for Sustainable Development.”

In conjunction with other partners at the event, the African Union (AU) symbolically added 300 cuttings of olive and guava trees in a plantation of the surroundings of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to replace eucalyptus trees. It was stated that in the last 10 years, the scientific community has proven that eucalyptus tree degrades the soil because it absorbs a lot of water and does not regenerate soil fertility.

While the event lasted, experts explained that tree planting, among others, is key to addressing the challenges posed by climate change and soil degradation.

Read the whole article at the Nigerian Compass: Climate change, food security and sustainable development, 18 March 2011.