The southern Mongolian province of Umnugovi says it will plant no fewer than 70 million trees by 2030 to combat desertification.
“Our province is planning to plant at least 70 million trees by 2030 within the framework of the ‘Billion Trees’ national tree-planting campaign initiated by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh,” said Nasanbuyan Enkhbat, deputy governor of the province, on Monday.
The provincial governor’s office is urging every household to plant at least nine trees and every organisation at least 90.
In 2021, Mongolia launched a nationwide tree-planting campaign as President Khurelsukh told the United Nations General Assembly that the campaign could combat climate change and desertification.
Almost 77 per cent of Mongolian territory has been struck by desertification, according to the country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
Umnugovi, located in the Gobi Desert region of southern Mongolia, is one of the provinces most affected by desertification.