Page 44 - State of Biodiversity 2018/19

STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2018/2019
THE BUFFELSDRAAI REFORESTATION PROJECT CELEBRATES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2019
2019 marked the 45th annual World Environment Day (WED), which was established by the United Nations in 1972 and was first celebrated in 1974. WED has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. It has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, WED has a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate for environmental causes. The international theme for 2019 was ‘Air Pollution’.
WED is celebrated in many different ways all over the world, and these include planting trees, cleaning up local beaches, organising meetings, joining online protests and many others. The Buffelsdraai Reforestation Project, which is a partnership between eThekwini Municipality’s EPCPD and Durban Solid Waste (DSW), chose to focus on planting trees in celebration of WED 2019. This activity was chosen not only because it is the main activity undertaken to meet the project objectives but also because of its relevance for 2019's WED theme. Trees play a major role in improving air quality by absorbing gaseous pollutants through their leaves and giving off oxygen.The project was initiated in 2008 within
40