Burundi to reforest 2 mln hectares to fight environmental degradation

Burundi is to reforest at least 2 million hectares countrywide to fight against environmental degradation, a senior Burundian government official said here Tuesday.

The Burundian government) signed a convention in 2014 with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on rehabilitating forests on 2 million hectares countrywide.

"We are going to set up an action plan to start the reforestation program," said Mohamed Feruzi, Director General of the Burundi Office for Environment Protection (OBPE), during a workshop on ways of reforesting degraded areas.

According to him, the workshop is also an opportunity to look for other financial partners to help the east African nation restore its forests.

"The degradation rate is deplorable. In Burundi, wood is used in cooking and in construction. If we look here and there countrywide, the deforestation is deplorable. That's why we are committed to restore natural ecosystems and plant trees even where they did not exist before," said Feruzi.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) office in Burundi last week said, "If the deforestation continues with today's rate, no forests will exist in Burundi within 24 years." Endit