Beijing Honors Int”l Year of Forests

Beijing, Apr 11. -Spring is here, and that was evident in the Chinese capital this weekend: foreign diplomats, journalists and students planted trees on Saturday to honor the International Year of Forests.

The event took place at Da Wangjing Park, in the Chaoyang district, where everything turned a little greener, as proposed by the UN initiative, which promotes the conservation and recuperation of forest ecosystems for sustainable development.

The tree-planting was part of China's contribution to this effort, which also involves workshops for raising awareness and the promoting a culture of this important work, in line with the motto "Forests for People."

Speaking at the event, the Chinese minister of the State Administration of Forest Resources, Jia Zhibang, recalled that three decades ago, the world's most populated country launched a mass campaign that resulted in the planting of more than 60 billion trees. Those at the ceremony who were pleased to contribute to the protection and improvement of the environment, included Surinam's ambassador, Mohammed Isaak Soerokarso.

Chilean Ambassador Luis Smichdt said it was important for primary school students to participate, "because it teaches them from an early age that having trees today means life."

The United Nations designated 2011 as International Year of Forests to counter the current situation: 25 hectares of forests from the planet every minute. Forests are home to 300 million people worldwide. (Prensa Latina)