Maputo — A total of 5,000 trees will be planted along the road that links the southern Mozambican beach resort of Macaneta to the town of Marracuene, in Maputo province.

The initiative is part of the cooperation on the environment between Mozambique and the Congo Republic. The event is also part of the celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of the independence of Congo Republic, which is marked this Monday.

"The stretch where we have just planted trees comprises 7.5 kilometers of the 12 kilometers that are being paved by the Mozambique Road Network (REVIMO) as part of the company's social responsibility, which will improve the mobility of the population and increase tourism in Macaneta", the Deputy Minister of Land and Environment, Fernando de Sousa, said on Saturday, speaking moments after the launch of the initiative.

He explained that the afforestation of that access road aims to highlight the importance of trees as a valuable and renewable natural resource and generator of multiple goods and services, including the improvement of the aesthetics of the landscape and protection against all forms of environmental degradation.

"We are fully aware that the more than 5,000 seedlings to be planted are very far from solving the problems we face, but if each one of us takes this initiative wherever we go, we will certainly achieve the goals associated with global warming, one of the main problems of humanity today", he said.

The initiative, said Sousa, also reflects the collective commitment to contribute to the mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change and thus ensure a better quality of life for the population. He called for ongoing involvement of students and youth in actions to preserve and protect the environment.

"My appeal extends to the community leaders, to the residents of the district, and to visitors, in the sense of helping to take care of the trees that we have just planted", he added.