Two members of the YET team(Elisaria Samwel and Thabit Jacob) were among the participants who took part in the Annual celebration to mark the Africa Environment Day that is hosted every third day of March and this year Tanzania was honoured to host it in Arusha. This year the day was marked with the theme of African Resilience to Climate Change; Biodiversity Conservation and Enhancing Traditional Knowledge.
Other participants included various ministers from Africa as well as dignitaries from UNEP, UN Habitat, world ecological organisation, diplomats from the EU and representatives of various CSO’s in Tanzania. The event was marked by planting 1000 trees in Naura, a suburb of Arusha and the activity involved primary school students, local leaders and members from civil society organization across the municipality and the country at large.
In her speech, the chief guest Dr Batilda Burian the Minister of State in the Vice President's Office (Environment), explained that this year Africa will put major emphasize on the conservation of our biodiversity and the enhancement of our traditional knowledge in fighting the effects of climate change. She went on to say that if efforts to look after the environment are not intensified there is every likelihood of some fish disappearing because corals that are breeding grounds for these fish are being destroyed and the continual use of illegal fishing nets, deforestation is doing away with certain species of trees, animal life and other organism.
It is important to remember that last year, Africa was hard hit with numerous floods, drought, famine and other environmental catastrophes where Tanzania had its share like the drought in Longido that killed hundreds of livestock, landslides in Same and floods in Kilosa district in Morogoro region that left over 25,000 people homeless
According to a recent report entitled the future of biodiversity in Africa, biodiversity remains the fundamental basis of Africa's development, and determine the well-being of current and future generations.
The YETs contributed in planting the tress and sharing their experience with some of the participants in the event. However, it is worthy to note that, this articles was complied by two YET members who are yet to get a CSO for the internship placement but at least they are doing something on the ground already
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Hongereni kweli nyie ni wana mazingira vijana wengi wangekuwa kama nyie TANZANIA ingekuwa mbali kimaendeleo,
ReplyDeletegood start keep it up buddy!!!!
ReplyDelete"The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river".