Mumbai Awarded With ‘World Tree City’ Second Time In Row

Mumbai, 30th March 2023: Mumbai has been awarded ‘World Tree City’ for the second time in a row. Mumbai metropolis has been included in the ‘World Tree City 2022’ list. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, is working intending to reduce food shortages and prevent hunger around the world. The American-based organization ‘Arbor Day Foundation’, which has been planting and conserving trees around the world for more than 50 years, has so far planted more than 35 crore trees. Not only this, the foundation aims to plant 50 crore trees worldwide by 2027.

Both these organizations merged in 2019. They undertook a campaign to honour cities around the world that are striving for tree conservation and tree planting and implementing innovative experiments for the same. In this campaign, continuous research is carried out to find out what efforts are being made around the world to preserve the balance of trees and the environment. Based on these criteria, cities are honoured by declaring them on the Global Tree City List. This award has been started in 2019 with the joint presence of these two organizations.

Mumbai was awarded the award for the first time in 2021 and now for 2022 i.e. for the second time in a row, Mumbai has been awarded the ‘World Tree City 2022’ award. Arbor Day Foundation Chief Executive Dan Lambe and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Assistant Director of Forestry Hiroto Mitsugi signed the certificate of the award to the Municipal Corporation.

The Parks Department of Mumbai Municipal Corporation has promoted tree conservation and urban forestry by implementing various activities in the last two years. This contribution has earned Mumbai this honour, said Park Superintendent and Tree Officer Jitendra Pardeshi. Mumbai has fulfilled five criteria while receiving this award. These five important values are determining responsibility for tree care, setting rules to govern urban forests and tree management, maintaining an up-to-date inventory or assessment of local tree assets, allocating resources for a tree management plan, and holding an annual tree festival to educate citizens.