Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced the launch of the “Green Homeland Mobilization,” an ambitious nationwide initiative introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, aiming to plant 550 million saplings and seeds across Türkiye within a single year.

The campaign, described as a collective effort involving all 86 million citizens, public institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, seeks to enhance Türkiye’s green landscape and honor significant causes. “This mobilization concerns every one of us,” Yumaklı stated, emphasizing that both individual and institutional activities will drive the initiative over the next year.

The first phase of the mobilization will kick off on November 11, coinciding with National Afforestation Day, with tree-planting events planned across all 81 provinces and 922 districts. These events will be open to participants of all ages, aiming to surpass the 2019 record when 13.8 million saplings were planted in a single day.

The initiative includes several meaningful projects. In memory of heroes martyred while fighting wildfires, commemorative forests will be established at 17 locations across eight provinces. Additionally, 11 provinces affected by earthquakes will see the creation of forests to honor lives lost. Family Year Forests will be planted across all 81 provinces, and a Gaza Memorial Forest will commemorate the 68,000 martyrs of the Gaza massacre.

Collaborative efforts are also a key component of the campaign. Through a partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent, the “1 Blood Donation = 3 Saplings” initiative will result in 4.5 million saplings planted. Similarly, a collaboration with the Turkish Basketball Federation, “Every Basket, a Sapling,” will see trees planted for each basket scored, with plans for a similar program with the Football Federation. Further partnerships with public and private institutions, as well as NGOs, are expected, with signing ceremonies planned in the coming days to formalize these collaborations.

Yumaklı highlighted the second phase of the mobilization, which will focus on implementing additional impactful projects to sustain the initiative’s momentum. 

The Green Homeland Mobilization represents one of Turkey’s most ambitious afforestation campaigns, aiming to engage the entire population in environmental restoration and commemorate heroes and victims through symbolic forest projects. (ILKHA)