PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- King Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday called on all people to plant trees in order to turn Cambodia into a green kingdom.
The monarch made the appeal in a speech on the occasion of the 29th National Arbor Day held in Tram Kak district's Khnar village, with thousands of participants.
"I dedicate this Arbor Day to the hearts of all Cambodians and make it a tradition of unity, planting all sorts of trees and preserving, protecting and developing forest and wildlife resources as a national heritage forever," he said.
"Tree planting is extremely beneficial for the nation, as it creates a green blanket in nature and profits human beings, all nations and all animal species on our planet," he added.
The king expressed his thanks to all friendly countries as well as national and international organizations that have contributed to the afforestation and conservation of forest and wildlife resources.
At the event, some 3,000 luxurious tree seedlings were planted on the parcel of three hectares at a tree planting station.
Forests cover approximately 8.5 million hectares, or 46.86 percent of Cambodia's land area, according to the Ministry of Environment.
Of the total forest cover, some 7.3 million hectares, equivalent to 41 percent of Cambodia's land area, are in the Southeast Asian nation's 76 protected areas and biodiversity corridors, the ministry said.
Cambodia aims to achieve the goals of 60 percent forest cover and carbon neutrality by 2050. ■
