Minister of Environment and Wildlife Resources S.M. Chandrasena says that people shoulder the responsibility to protect the environment at a time when an era of development is emerging in the country.

He expressed these views joining the ceremony to inaugurate the national campaign to plant 1 million trees this morning (01). The event took place at Mahamevnāwa Gardens in Anuradhapura.

The program is being implemented as per President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s environmental policy statement with the aim of increasing the forest density of Sri Lanka from 29 percent to 32 percent during the next five years.

Coinciding with this event, tree planting campaigns have been scheduled to be carried out in the limits of Pradeshiya Sabha, Urban Councils and Municipal Councils under the instructions of Minister of Mahaweli, Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Environment and Wildlife Resources S.M. Chandrasena, State Minister of Environment Jayantha Samaraweera, State Minister of Wildlife Resources and State Minister of Mahaweli Development Roshan Ranasinghe.

In the meantime, the week starting from today has been named the National Tree Planting Week.

To commemorate the launch of the campaign President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also planted trees at their official residences today.

Menawhile, the first phase of the campaign to plant 6,000 trees launched as a joint effort of Manusath Derana and Dudley Sirisena Foundation kicked off at Polonnaruwa- Hingurakgoda main road today.