- Title: ECUADOR-RECORD/REFORESTATION Ecuador breaks Guinness record for reforestation
- Date: 31st July 2015
- Summary: GUANO, ECUADOR (JULY 30, 2015) (REUTERS) CORREA DURING EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ECUADOR'S PRESIDENT RAFAEL CORREA, SAYING: "Due to historical mistakes made in the past by the country, eucalyptus was planted (decades ago) which dried the water sources. In spite of the fact the programme has been operating for a couple of years, the changes are visible. The leaders of the
- Embargoed: 15th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ecuador
- Country: Ecuador
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA740Q73V5QDSPVB2GEKYGP2UAK
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ecuador's President Rafael Correa received a recognition from Guinness World Records on Friday (July 31) for the most plant species, a total of 237, planted in eight hours in multiple locations.
The record was achieved by the South American country's Ministerio de Ambiente at multiple venues across Ecuador, on May 16, 2015, according to the World Guinness Record website.
This initiative was sponsored by the Ministry of Environment which invited all Ecuadorian citizens to participate and to afforest different ecosystems throughout the country with plants provided by the Ministry. Some other government entities also participated in this event.
During the record attempt, the Ecuadorian government counted the participation of 57,512 people, which reforested an area of 2,269 hectares and planted 765,073 plants, Guinness reported in a note posted on its website.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, praised the country's reforestation efforts, blaming the introduction of eucalyptus trees for drying the soil.
"Due to historical mistakes made in the past by the country, eucalyptus was planted (decades ago) which dried the water sources. In spite of the fact the programme has been operating for a couple of years, the changes are visible. The leaders of the community, the president of the parish council and forest engineers from the Environment Ministry showed me how with new plants, which are native and not imported, benefit the ground, they don't dry it, destroy it and one can see moss growing again on the base of the tree trunks, how leaves fertilize the soil and water will soon return to an area such as Cacha. You cannot imagine the impacts of this reforestation programme," said Correa.
Ecuador's Minister of the Environment, Lorena Tapia, spoke about the deep effects of deforestation.
"The loss of forests and jungles involves at the same time, the loss of our biodiversity, this loss in the future would affect not only our food sovereignty, but also the possibility of finding cures for many diseases and addressing society needs," said Tapia.
Ecuador aims in 2017 to reach a target of zero deforestation, a mark never reached in the country. In this way the achievement of a Guinness World Record title has helped on the realisation of this goal.
According to local media, soil in the country also became significantly eroded after decades of housing development. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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