Africa-Press – South-Africa. If you’ve ever wanted to make your street or neighbourhood a little greener, the City of Cape Town has the answer.
Its “Adopt a Tree” initiative aims to get local communities involved in expanding green spaces in the city.
Over 3,000 trees were planted after the City launched the initiative last year, but they are looking forward to ramping it up this year says says Francine Higham, Mayco Member for Community Services and Health.
There are tens of thousands of trees available at its Newlands Nursery.
“We really want to get as many people involved as possible to work with the City to take ownership of our public spaces and make them greener and more beautiful.”
Cape Town, like other cities around the world, faces several challenges in expanding and maintaining its urban forests.
Pressure from development often leads to the loss of the urban forest canopy. Other challenges include water availability and the presence of pests and diseases like the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) beetle.
Anyone can apply to “adopt” a tree, Higham says, whether it’s a community group or individual residents.
They do have to make a commitment to water and look after the tree, though.
“We want to make sure these trees have the best chance of surviving and growing into these wonderful assets for communities… so, the three-year commitment really is just about watering the tree and obviously making sure that that it is being protected.”
The Recreation and Parks Department’s experts will guide the selection of appropriate species for the particular area, considering factors like space availability, environmental impact and maintenance requirements.
The application form is available on the City’s website, and includes options like the number of trees required and whether the applicant or City will do the planting.
To listen to Cllr Francine Higham in conversation with Sara-Jayne Makwala King on CapeTalk’s Weekend Breakfast, click on the audio link below:
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