The city of Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, has recently been acknowledged as the ‘2020 Tree City of the World’. This recognition was bestowed upon it by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. Hyderabad bagged this honor in the second year of the programme, standing with 51 other cities that achieved the same in 2020. Up till now, a cumulative total of 120 cities across 63 countries have been recognized under this program. Despite the majority of cities being from countries like the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia, Hyderabad is the lone city from India that has received this recognition.
The Tree Cities of the World Programme
This international initiative aims to highlight towns and cities that have shown commitment towards maintaining their urban forests and trees in a sustainable manner. Not only maintenance, but these cities also celebrate their green cover. This commitment was elicited during the 2018 World Forum on Urban Forests held in Mantova, Italy. Here, world leaders came forth with the Mantova Green Cities Challenge and a call-for-action, which included participation in the Tree Cities of the World programme.
The idea behind this initiative is to connect cities globally in a network, where they can share and learn from successful strategies for managing community trees and forests. The programme was instituted through a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the FAO.
Evaluation Standards
A city is appraised based on five standards – Establish Responsibility, Set the Rules, Know What You Have, Allocate the Resources, and Celebrate the Achievements.
Hyderabad’s Recognition
The Indian city of Hyderabad earned its selection, the only one from the country, due to its commitment to urban forestry. Crucial to this commitment are the Haritha Haram programme and Urban Forest Parks.
Haritha Haram Programme
This flagship programme of the Telangana government aims to increase the state’s green cover from the existing 25.16% to 33% of the total geographical area. This ambitious target is sought to be achieved using a multi-pronged approach, which involves rejuvenating degraded forests, intensifying forest protection against smuggling, encroachment, fire, and grazing. It also includes intensive soil and moisture conservation measures that follow the watershed approach.
Urban Forest Parks
Under the Haritha Haram programme, forest blocks in and around cities have been developed into Urban Forest Parks (UFPs). These UFPs contribute significantly to providing a wholesome healthy living environment, fostering the growth of smart, clean, green, sustainable and healthy cities in the state.
About Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is an American nonprofit conservation and education organization founded in 1972 by John Rosenow. It holds the distinction of being the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to tree planting. Its vision revolves around using trees as solutions to combat global issues like air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty, and hunger.
