VIENTIANE, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government plans to plant 34 million trees on 42,000 hectares of land in 2024 as part of efforts to achieve 70 percent forest cover across the country by 2025.
To help achieve this goal and to mark Laos' National Arbor Day on June 1, Laos' Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will plant some 3,500,000 saplings on 3,500 hectares of land, according to a report from the local Pasaxon newspaper on Wednesday.
Forestry authorities will partner with provincial education and sports departments to encourage schools, colleges and other institutions to organize tree-planting activities in places such as public parks and along roadsides.
Such activities are becoming increasingly important in achieving the nation's forest cover targets, as well as mitigating the effects of environmental damage and protecting biodiversity.
Laos' National Arbor Day aims to raise awareness among young people and the public about the need to protect and maintain forested areas and to actively participate in their management.
However, forestry protection still faces many challenges, especially encroachment by local communities onto forested land.
The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is formulating policies to resolve these issues, including regulating the use of forests by people living within and close to them, such as by stricter forest management and the allocation of land for specific purposes, according to the report. ■
