'Tree City' title for Hyderabad

By Newsmeter Network  Published on  18 Feb 2021 10:45 AM GMT
Tree City title for Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Hyderabad has been recognized as a 2020 'Tree City of the World' by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its commitment towards growing and maintaining a sizeable urban forest cover. Hyderabad is the only city in the country to receive this recognition.

The city will join a network of like-minded cities across the world who recognise the importance of trees for a healthy, resilient, and happy city. This is the foundation's second year in the programme. The city has been given this title along with 51 other cities. A total of 120 cities from 63 countries are part of this project. Most of the cities were from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and so on.

Congratulating the city residents for this international recognition, Dan Lambe, president of the foundation said, "Your city is part of an important global network, leading the way in urban and community forestry."

He said that now more than ever people need to recognise that trees and forests are a vital component of all healthy and sustainable cities and towns around the globe. "Hyderabad's commitment to an effective urban forest management is helping ensure a better future for its residents," he added. A global press event by the foundation on March 1 will be held to commemorate the city's achievement.

For a city to become eligible for this title, it needs to fulfill five standards: establish responsibility, set proper policies around the management of forests and trees, keep an inventory of local tree resources, have a dedicated annual budget for a tree management plan and celebrate gree achievements with the citizens. The city has shown its commitment by meeting all the five standards which showed its dedication and determination towards planting and conserving trees for a greener future, the evaluators said.

The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MA&UD) applied for this recognition online on January 31 this year. The department has been at the forefront of many green projects including the executing Haritha Haram initiative.



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