By Poloko Mokhele
Limomonane Trust has introduced a project dubbed 10 Thousand Trees that focuses on establishing and maintaining tree nurseries, planting trees in strategic areas and educating communities about the positive environmental impacts of reforestation.
Limomonane Trust is an environmental not-for profit organisation that focuses on land restoration projects, capacity building on conservation agriculture as well as educating people to become environmental stewards. The trust works at the intersection of climate action and food security.
Speaking to theReporter this week, Limomonane Trust executive director, Lipuo Nkholi, said their farm which is in Mafeteng, is in one of the most drought-stricken district in the country and needed to do something to restore the degrading land in order to run a successful operation.
“This started as a foundation to prepare ground for a private operation but has grown to respond to the need to answer a bigger call to restore the land in Mafeteng, and we started planting indigenous trees for the neighbouring villages and expanded to Thaba-Tseka in the past year. This year the project is expanding nationally,” she said.
Nkholi stated that the recent floods the country has been experiencing have reminded them of the urgency to attend to issues of environment and tree-planting remains the most powerful and easiest ways to respond to climate change.
“At less than five percent, Lesotho currently has one of the lowest rates of tree cover in the world. Working across the country, this project will increase tree cover, offset CO2 emissions in the lowlands, and provide vital habitat for our challenged local wildlife.
“We also intend to educate people to become environmental stewards and care for the environment in their individual lives. Aligning with global goals too, the project aims to contribute towards increasing the global forest cover as well as reducing global temperatures,” Nkholi indicated.
Asked whether the project has any sponsors, Nkholi said Vodacom Lesotho Foundation and Metropolitan Lesotho came on board as the biggest sponsors.
“We also have other partners we are working with in terms of implementing it. We have partnered with the annual Moshoeshoe Walk organisers which will take place from March 09 and last for four days. We are also in collaboration with Conservation Music Lesotho, GEM Institute, ACT and also working closely with the ministry of forestry, range and soil conservation and ministry of tourism, environment and culture,” she said.
Nkholi called on all Basotho to join in the movement in planting trees at designated places around the country.
“They can also plant indigenous and fruit trees in their own times, as long as we all plant a tree or more in our communities.” Nkholi encouraged.
