Page 18 - LandscapeSA Issue 108

FEATURE

NATIONAl ARBOR CITY AwARDS

The National Arbor City Awards were introduced in 2002 In order to achieve the objective of
as a partnership programme between the Department greening, a combination of technical
expertise, socio-economic balance and
of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), capacity building skills is required.
Total Energies and the Institute for Environment and Winners of the 2021 National
Recreation management (IERm). The purpose of the Arbor City Awards

awards is to encourage municipalities to green their Metropolitan Category:
City of Cape Town
areas of jurisdiction. Local Municipality Category:
First prize: Polokwane Local Municipality
Second prize: Steve Tshwete Local
n addition, the awards are a quest to that the department is pursuing the Municipality
promote environmental conservation National Arbor City Awards competition, Rural Local Municipality Category:
Iand development, thereby securing a together with the Arbor Month City of uMHlathuze Municipalty
healthy living environment for residents Campaign and the Ten Million Trees Youth Participation in Greening Award:
in all settlement areas. The competition programme. It is acknowledged that the uLundi Local Municipality
provides incentives and rewards to tree planting programmes will have to
municipalities who are doing their best rely on other supporting programmes The reasons for their success were that
in terms of greening, especially in the such as environmental education and the municipalities had outstanding
townships and new settlement areas. awareness, to inform and educate society community greening projects and met
Most municipalities made great strides about the importance of trees within the the requirements as stipulated in the
in past years to expand the greening environment and their role in mitigating criteria for the competition. They also
and other landscape developments environmental threats. scored highest when it came to greening
from a previous focus on towns and policies, budgets, plans, implementation
suburbs to also include townships and The National Arbor City Awards are strategies and reports.
new settlements areas. This move has conducted in line with the DFFE greening
rewarded the latter areas with street strategy which defines greening as ‘an In addition, they had outstanding
trees, recreational parks and in some integrated approach to the planting, care awareness initiatives pertaining to
areas, physical training and gym facilities. and management of all vegetation in greening, as well as excellent concepts
urban and rural areas, to secure multiple outlining how they were planning to
Tree planting, which forms the basis benefits for communities and citizens in contribute to the Ten Million Trees
of the Arbor City Awards, is one of the general’. Greening is a task that requires programme. These also included future
mitigating factors recommended towards multi-disciplinary approaches, including projects that support this initiative.
slowing down the environmental threat precise scientific knowledge and skills,
of climate change. It is for this reason socio-economic balancing and planning. Information and photo supplied by the DFFe.

16 Landscape SA • Issue 108 2021