Hyderabad and Mumbai have won the “2021 Tree City of World” title by the Arbor Day Foundation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
- The two Indian cities have won the recognition for their “commitment to growing and maintaining urban trees and greenery in building healthy, resilient and happy cities.
- For the second time in a row, the capital city of Telangana, Hyderabad, has won the “Tree City of World” title.
- Hyderabad was the first city in India to be titled as the Tree City of the World, but this year the metro city Mumbai also joined the list.
- Including both the cities, the FAO has also recognised 136 other cities from 21 countries across the globe which are recognised by FAO.
- The FAO reports that as many as 3.50 crore trees have been planted in Hyderabad city in 500 volunteer hours.
- Cities around the world are being evaluated on the basis of various standards such as Miyawaki forests established in BMC area, regular tree planting, scientific care of trees, public awareness, allocation of relevant resources.
Five core standards
A city is recognised as a ‘Tree City’ if it meets five core standards to show its commitment towards caring for its trees and forests.
- A city must have a written statement delegating responsibility for the care of trees within the municipal boundary to a staff member, a city department, or a group of citizens – called a Tree Board.
- The city should have in place a law or an official policy to govern the management of forests and trees.
- The city should have an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resource so that an effective long-term plan for planting, care, and removal of city trees can be established.
- The city should have a dedicated annual budget for the implementation of the tree management plan.
- The city should organise an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness among people and to acknowledge citizens who carried out the tree programme.
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