Planting native trees is an essential part of restoration work - putting the native species back into their endemic areas.

Wherever you live in the world, you can plant trees, for example, you can:

- plant a native woodland of 100 trees in your community

- plant mangrove trees in coastland areas

- take part in a reforestation programme

Trees and their benefits:

Habitat for Wildlife - Birds and a variety of insects have trees as their habitat – they sometimes never leave the tree where they are born.

Global Climate (CO2 sinks)

Soil building (leaf fall, erosion, mycorrhiza)

Trees give clean air and water - The quality of our environment - the air, soil and water - depends on the roles trees play. Trees expel moisture into the atmosphere: their roots draw it from the soil and their leaves return it to the air. Trees clean the air we breathe by taking in carbon dioxide through the leaves and then giving off oxygen we need to breathe. If trees didn’t breathe, neither could we.

Provide Microclimate (wind protection, shade, frost)

Trees provide shelter and foods such as fruits, nuts, leaves, bark and roots.

Timber is not the sole product that comes from trees – ground up wood is used for paper, sap for syrup, chewing gum, crayons, paint, and soap. Dyes and medicines are made from the bark, while leaves and roots gives us oils and cosmetics.

Roots help hold soil in place to prevent erosion which not only saves soil, but also keeps our waterways cleaner. You may have observed that water is usually cleaner when there is an abundance of trees.