DUSHANBE, March 31, Asia-Plus – An awareness-raising campaign on environmental protection, biodiversity and the effects of deforestation was launched Thrusday [March 30] in Qurghon Teppa, the capital of the southern province of Khatlon, as part of an OSCE Centre in Dushanbe project, according to information from the OSCE Center in Dushanbe.
Some 20,000 trees will be planted in 14 villages in the southern region of Khatlon as part of the project, to help prevent land degradation, erosion, and subsequent mudslides, landslides and floods in southern Tajikistan.
“Not many people realize that cutting down trees and bushes causes landslides, erosion and land degradation,” said Saulius Smalys, Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre. “I hope the newly-planted trees will benefit future generations.”
Abduvohid Karimov, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection and Forestry, praised the OSCE for its support in helping local people to care for nature and planting trees.
The nine-month-long project will be implemented together with the Qurghon Teppa Youth Ecological Centre, according to the source.
In 2005, a pilot project helped prepare around 150 environmental activists in the eastern Rahst Valley. They were trained in ways to prevent deforestation and Tajik laws regulating environmental protection. Instead of the 7,000 trees initially planned, the local environmental activists planted over 490,000 spruce and poplar trees all over the region.
