A child plants a sapling during a National Afforestation Day event in Şanlıurfa. (AA Photo)
Türkiye has marked its National Afforestation Day on Nov. 11 with the planting of nearly 1.9 million saplings across the country, while world leaders attending the U.N. climate summit COP31 also took part in a symbolic tree-planting ceremony in the southwestern city of Antalya.
Held annually since 2019, the nationwide initiative took place this year under the slogan “Breath for the Future, Peace for the World,” coinciding with Türkiye’s hosting of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) in Antalya from Nov. 9 to 20.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese planted olive saplings together at the COP31 venue.
The ceremony also marked the launch of new “peace forests” and carbon sink forests planned in all 81 provinces, linking the country’s annual afforestation campaign with its broader climate and environmental agenda.
Karacabey said planting activities would be held at 756 locations covering 2,301 hectares, with 1,855,735 saplings set to be planted and approximately 301,000 people expected to participate.
Since the launch of the “Breath for the Future” campaign in 2019, around 50 million saplings have been planted across 65,700 hectares, with millions of people taking part in activities between 2019 and 2025, according to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.
The ministry has instructed provincial governor’s offices to coordinate activities with forestry directorates, municipalities, schools, military units and civil society organizations. Planting sites will primarily be selected near city and district centers, while health, security and traffic arrangements will be made to accommodate participants.
Citizens unable to attend planting events will also be able to contribute by adopting saplings free of charge or making donations through the campaign’s “Breath for the Future” website. Those requesting saplings to plant near their homes may also receive them free of charge, subject to availability.
Karacabey stressed that the success of afforestation efforts should be measured not only by the number of saplings planted but also by their survival and growth. He said forestry authorities monitor plantations through field inspections and carry out maintenance and replacement planting where necessary, taking ecological suitability and biodiversity into account.
He also called on the public to take greater responsibility for protecting forests, warning that individual negligence, particularly fires, could destroy newly planted trees and existing woodland.
