Pretoria - The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will launch the National Arbor Week in Galeshewe, Kimberly, on 1 September, Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi announced on Wednesday.
Briefing reporters on Wednesday, Manyi said Arbor Week will be launched under the theme, "Our Forest, Our Future".
"This year's event is aimed at celebrating greening achievements in the Northern Cape, specifically in and around the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, by planting trees to commemorate people who had dedicated their lives to the liberation struggle, nation-building and community upliftment," he said.
Manyi said Cabinet was calling on all South Africans to plant indigenous trees as a gesture of sustainable environmental management.
National Arbor Week is celebrated annually from 1 - 7 September and affords the department and other stakeholders the opportunity to undertake a major national awareness programme.
Arbor Day was first celebrated by South Africa in 1983. The South African government extended the celebration of Arbor Day into National Arbor Week.
This year, the campaign will take place in line with the International Year of the Forests as declared by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).
Trees can beautify the community and promote biodiversity by providing diverse habitats. They also promote sustainable living by providing food, shade and oxygen.
To this end, National Arbor Week supports government's priority to protect and enhance environmental assets and natural resources.
The 2012 National Arbor Week celebrations consist of the national launch event and a series of other events in various provinces and districts.
