©Walter Kollert

On the occasion of the spring equinox (21 March) the world celebrates the International Day of Forests by bringing together people all over the world to plant trees and make commitments to forest restoration. In Cambodia, while the spring equinox is celebrated by the sun rising over the centre temple of Angkor Wat, a celebration of the International Day of Forests was held between a group of 75 students, teachers and local authority representatives from Prek Krabav Commune, Peam Chor District, Prey Veng Province with representatives of the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Forestry Administration, the Royal University of Agriculture, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO). The celebration of International Day of Forests in Cambodia saw the planting of over 300 trees in the students’ school and local community and discussions with the students about the importance of forests. The theme of this year's International Day of Forests was “Sustainable Wood for People and Planet”.

“Plant a tree today to leave a legacy for our next generation!” H.E Rath Virak, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment emphasized. “If we feel that our country is wealthy today based on the forest resources, we should think about the hard work of our ancestors, who started planting trees today for future generations.”

Ms. Vong Sokpanha, Deputy Director of the Forestry Administration, highlighted that climate change is not only detrimental to the livelihoods of all people, but also to the development of the nation. Therefore, we need to work together to deal with this global issue by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “One way of reducing the impact of climate change is simply to plant more trees” she added.

“The forest sector generates jobs and economic development; forests are essential for the health of our planet and for human well-being and sustaining food production. Every tree counts!” said Ms Rebekah Bell, FAO Representative in Cambodia.

During the event, there was an interactive session between students, government representatives and FAO forestry experts in which the students were taught general and technical knowledge about tree planting. The students got to put their new knowledge into action when they planted the more than 300 tree saplings around their school and local community. The tree saplings planted included native species such as Rosewood, Rain trees, and Cheu Teal, which were donated by Samdech Hun Sen Forestation Nursery, Neak Loeung.