Rehoboth:The Hardap Region has pledged to plant at least 75,000 trees as part of Namibia's national initiative to plant two million trees by the year 2035. This commitment was announced by Hardap Region Governor Riaan McNab during a visit from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's delegation, led by Director of Forestry Johnson Ndokosho. The visit took place ahead of the national Arbor Day celebration, which will be held in Rehoboth on Friday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the ministry selected Hardap to host this year's Arbor Day activities to boost awareness of forestry and environmental conservation within the region. Ndokosho highlighted that the ministry had not been very active in the region previously in terms of raising environmental awareness.

Ministry officials have already visited schools to educate students about forestry, environmental issues, wildlife conservation, and the importance of trees. Ndokosho encouraged communities and developers, especially in urban areas, to preserve existing vegetation and plant trees after completing construction projects.

The ministry's national tree-planting strategy aims to plant one million trees by 2030 and another million by 2035, pending Cabinet approval later this month. Ndokosho stressed that achieving this goal requires a collective effort from society, involving schools, youth, government bodies, private companies, churches, and communities.

Approximately 3,000 tree seedlings will be made available across the country starting from Arbor Day, with more seedlings to be distributed to schools and communities. Several private-sector entities, including NamPower, have shown interest in supporting the initiative, with NamPower planning to acquire 800 trees for planting at its offices nationwide.

Governor McNab expressed confidence that the region's target of 75,000 trees is achievable by distributing the responsibility among Hardap's eight constituencies. He stated that the Hardap Regional Council would set targets and deadlines to ensure the goal is met and even pledged to surpass the assigned target.

A representative from the governor's office mentioned a prior request for 100 tree seedlings from the ministry for distribution within the region's constituencies, emphasizing the importance of considering indigenous tree species when allocating seedlings.