The City’s Recreation and Parks Department will celebrate Arbor Month from 1 to 30 September 2018. It is a national campaign with the theme for this year being ‘Forests and Sustainable Cities’.

With various arbor events planned throughout the city during Arbor Month, the focus will be on messages of sustainability, awareness and water-saving measures.

‘The City’s Recreation and Parks Department is constantly striving to do all that it can to save water within its operations. This means finding new ways to maintain district parks and community parks, and addressing water conservation over the short and long term. This includes a focus on water conservation and considering alternative water resources. An extensive education and awareness drive about water conservation among City staff and residents also continues,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.

In recognition of Cape Town being situated in a water-scarce region as well as ongoing water conservation efforts by the City and residents, the Recreation and Parks Department’s nursery in Newlands has been increasingly moving towards growing succulent and drought-resistant plants for the use in City-owned parks and public open spaces where required. The current five-year tree plan, which is based on the Tree Management Policy, is also being reviewed. Interested parties may view the policy on the City’s website at www.capetown.gov.za/policies.

‘This Arbor Month we are also asking residents to help us to protect our indigenous forests so that we can enhance our sustainability as a city. Indigenous forests are vital especially in a water-scarce region and also reduces the chances of large-scale veld and forest fires.

‘Trees make a valuable contribution to our community’s landscape and to our daily lives. Not only are they a source of food for humans and animals, they also help to improve the overall quality of our health and happiness. So it is so important that we increasingly use indigenous and water-wise plants to green our city, especially where there is an alternative water source available. We urge all of our partners in the private sector as well as our residents to carry on deploying water-saving methods when planting trees and to take up the challenge of planting indigenous trees,’ said Alderman Smith.

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