Nearly 600,000 trees have been planted in the first year of the Government’s five million tree planting programme, putting the Maldives on track to meet its five-year target, according to Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim.

Speaking at the sixth session of the Ahaa forum series on Monday night, the Minister said 595,000 trees have been planted since the initiative launched on World Environment Day last year. The Government aims to plant two million trees by the end of 2025.

Announced by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu at the COP28 climate summit, the programme is the largest tree planting effort ever undertaken in the Maldives. It involves state-owned enterprises, island councils, private companies, and tourist resorts.

To date, participating institutions and private stakeholders have committed to planting 6.3 million trees under the programme, exceeding the initial five million target.

The current programme is designed for long-term environmental impact and includes efforts to protect local biodiversity by prioritising the planting of 90 endangered native species.

The public is also encouraged to support the initiative by donating trees and taking part in community planting efforts.