Trees That Count has launched a nationwide campaign calling for New Zealanders to take action for the environment by helping plant millions more native trees across the country. The nationwide Love Native Trees campaign features well-known New Zealand personalities including Olympic medalist Eliza McCartney, Sir Stephen Tindall, Dame Trelise Cooper and Dr Hinemoa Elder. Source: Timberbiz
Each personality involved shares a simple reason why native trees are so important to New Zealanders.
It comes in the wake of the Environment Aotearoa 2019 report, released by Ministry for the Environment in April 2019, which revealed serious findings about the health of New Zealand’s environment.
The report details that with native biodiversity under pressure, almost 4000 native species are currently threatened or at risk of extinction.
Trees That Count is a program of Project Crimson Trust that provides people and communities a variety of ways to get involved in planting more native trees.
As well as adding to the national count of native trees planted, people can fund, gift or donate a native tree which will be matched up with community planting groups.
Project Crimson Chief Executive Adele Fitzpatrick says funding and gifting native trees is a meaningful way for New Zealanders to build a brighter future for the environment.
“The science is clear that our biodiversity is under real threat. We have such diverse climates and ecosystems at play in our country, we need to protect them if want our unique native species to survive,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
“Planting native trees offers a meaningful way for us to repay our debt to the environment, and it’s much more than just the amazing ability of trees to store carbon from the atmosphere.
“Native trees and plants play an important role in stabilising our ecosystem, they help clean our waterways, provide food and habitats for our wildlife and places for our kids to play.”
Since its inception, Trees That Count has supported close to 200 planting projects by iwi, schools and community around the country, and inspired New Zealanders to fund or donate close to 300,000 native trees to the efforts.
Ms Fitzpatrick hopes the new Love Natives Trees campaign will inspire even more New Zealanders to take action for the environment.
“We know New Zealanders are passionate about their country and our unique plants and animals. We hope we can inspire them to turn that passion into action and realise that every single native tree in the ground has a positive impact,” she said.
“If you can’t plant a native tree, you can fund one through Trees That Count and we’ll ensure it gets planted on your behalf.”
