Plant trees for a greener future, advises Cambodia’s King Norodom
The public should plant trees for the sake of the environment, as a green investment and as a buffer against climate change, King Norodom Sihamoni said on Saturday.
The King made this remark while delivering a speech at an event marking National Arbour Day, or Royal Tree Planting Day, held in the Snoeung commune of Battambang province’s Banan district.
His Majesty noted that National Arbour Day has been celebrated since the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era between 1953-1970, under the late King Norodom Sihanouk.
The King asked monks, local officials and the general public to plant as many of each type of tree as possible – especially the ubiquitous Asian palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) – at pagodas, parks and public places, the outdoor spots known locally as “romeak’ni-yakthan”, along roads, streams, rivers and levees, and around villages and farms.
The trees will not only absorb carbon dioxide and be a bastion against climate change, but also offer shelter for people and animals as well as protection against strong winds, and in the end provide construction material, firewood, and fertiliser for the soil, the King explained.
He also asked the public to act responsibly and remain vigilant to wildfires, and refrain from and prevent logging, deforestation and land clearing as well as illegal wildlife snaring and hunting. His Majesty called for reduced reliance on forestry assets, and agriculture that optimally exploits the given land conditions.
“We together should initiate new ideas and make traditions out of them. A wedded couple should plant a memorial tree on the grounds where they married, in a forest, or in a park,” the King said, likening the act to a green investment with multiple benefits for mankind, wildlife and the planet.
The Phnom Penh Post
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