OSHAKATI – The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism is expected to commemorate Arbor Day at Onawa in Oshakati next Friday.

A statement issued yesterday by ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said, this year, the ministry in collaboration with the Oshakati Town Council and the Oshana Regional Council will be hosting the official Arbor Day event at Onawa, marking the 32nd observance of the day.

The day will be celebrated under the theme, ‘Forest and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World’. 

Customarily, as Namibians commemorate this day, a tree is chosen every year and awareness is created around that tree. The 2024 tree of the year is the Salvadora persica (Mustard tree).

Muyunda outlined that with Namibia being a very dry country, only 8% is considered as forest. This forest is impacted by unsustainable practices such as illegal harvesting of timber, deforestation, veld fires and drought, amongst others.

“This by implication reduces the services of trees on people’s livelihoods and generally their contribution to the ecosystem. Trees and forests play a significant role by providing us with ecosystem services such as producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide from the air,” he said.

He added that when trees are cut, they will not be able to absorb carbon dioxide leading to climate change, a phenomenon associated with catastrophic events such as drought, floods, and rising temperatures.

Namibians will also be participating in World Cleanup Day, a day after Arbor Day.

All events are expected to be officiated by Pohamba Shifeta, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

-Nampa