On Friday, staff and pupils at Gozo College Dun Salv Vella Nadur Primary School teamed up with volunteers from ‘Sigar,‘ a newly registered environmental NGO to plant locally grown indigenous trees in the school grounds.

The NGO explained that this was the first tree-planting event of its kind held at the school and was held in partnership with the Ministry for Gozo and Planning and with the support of local tree expert Joseph Bonello “in order to plant the right tree, in the right place, in the right way.”

Previously, at an educational ‘hands-on’ session, pupils from the school’s EkoSkola group had helped to prepare the site ready for the new Carob, Elm and Judas trees, by successfully digging planting holes to the correct size and depth, whilst learning about the importance of watering, maintenance and after care.

The environmental NGO said that it is hoping to extend its work with local schools and offer free, small scale, educational tree planting and watering sessions in villages across Gozo. A further aim is to offer local residents the opportunity to become volunteer ‘tree champions,’ learning how to successfully plant and water the young trees in Gozo’s challenging climatic conditions.

Why Gozo Needs More Trees

The NGO explained that evidence shows that planting indigenous trees, particularly in urban settings, can help in the fight against climate change and support biodiversity. “Trees absorb carbon emissions, release clean energy, decrease temperatures, provide welcome shade and serve as shelter and habitat for different species, thereby forming part of a chain in ecosystems which are so important for humans who depend on them every day.”

In addition, it said that trees can help local wildlife live and thrive by providing animals and insects with food and shelter, whilst supporting local ecosystems. Indigenous trees are also particularly suited to Gozo’s climate conditions and soil types and, once planted, often require less water and fertiliser than non-native species.

As such, Sigar said that it is committed to only use young trees raised from local seeds by collaborating with the island’s Plant Nursery and Experimental Farm managed by the Rural Gozo Directorate.

With less than 1% of forest cover across the Maltese Islands, Sigar said it also believes there are many potential opportunities for small scale tree planting projects within Gozo villages, complimenting other green projects being carried out by the local councils and the Ministry for Gozo and Planning. “Sigar seeks to work in partnership to cultivate a greener future for Gozo’s residents and increase the number of healthy trees planted across the island,” it said.

Sigar is a registered voluntary organisation (Ref: VO / 2518). For more information: call +356 77709188 or email sigargozo@gmail.com and view the Facebook page above.

Photos by Sigar: Show Friday’s tree planting event at Nadur School.

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