The Trees For Tourism project is part of a much larger environmental campaign, the African Forest Trust. It was established to raise awareness of why we should be concerned about our forest eco-systems. Although its original aim was to engage solely with the tourism industry, its message and intention applies to all global citizens, travelers and businesses.
Trees For Tourism provides a valuable platform to support companies wanting to address their environmental impact and navigate the complexities of a ‘carbon footprint’. This allows businesses or individuals to get involved in a larger picture by investing in trees for reforestation; either as a one-off gesture or as part of an ongoing environmental commitment.
Trees are planted to create a pristine forest-eco system, enhancing both the carbon sink effect and biodiversity. Trees will live for hundreds of years and the forests will renew themselves, storing carbon for generations to come. Reforestation will only occur on suitable degraded sites which have been previously cleared from alien invasive trees. No pristine nature will be sacrificed and the added benefit is that alien invasive tree-stands will be replaced by indigenous forest. Reforestation will not take place on land suitable or earmarked for agriculture and does not collide with food production.
Reforestation sites will be maintained for years to come: it will be protected against fire and alien invasive seedlings will be removed. Maintenance will only come to an end once the forest has matured sufficiently to be self-resistant against fire and alien invasive vegetation has been fully eradicated.
