Tablo sits next to a sign under the name of her group and the environmental initiative that was launched. She looks at the writing carefully and is proud that they have touched on a topic that she expects will have a broad impact on the environment in Garmian.
Tablo Darbaz (17 years old), supervises the "Let's Make Garmian Green" initiative and lives in the Kifri district. The initiative revolves around building individual responsibility towards the environment by participating in tree planting.
A sign is placed next to each plant or tree that is planted with the name of the person planted it and will be taking care of it.
Tablo frequently visits Imam Muhammad Park in the Kifri district, of Sulaimaniyah Northern Province, where she launched the tree planting initiative to follow up on the planted plants and trees that have been numbered.
From reading culture to environmental conservation
The project to afforestation Garmian is part of the work and activities of the book reading education group that has been active in Kifri district, affiliated with the Garmian administration, for two years.
The group includes 15 volunteers. The group's activities currently include environmental and cultural activities after launching the Garmian afforestation project two months ago, as part of the (Environment is the Eye of Life) campaign.
Tablo is poroud of supervizing the "Let's Make Garmian Green" project. Ziryan Muhammad
The Garmian administration, affiliated with the Sulaymaniyah Province, suffers from a lack of green spaces, as statistics for the year 2023 indicate that the percentage of greenery within the borders of 16 municipalities affiliated with the Garmian administration was only 5,7%, which is much lower than the 30% global standard.
The "Environment is the Eye of Life" campaign began by cleaning public places in Kifri district with the participation of various segments of society. The project also began by planting 30 trees in Kifri and the Sarqala area, and the responsibility of caring for them was assigned to 30 people whose names were written on the number plates.
I have a very nice and special feeling that this tree is named after me
"In general, our environmental project includes several activities. In addition to planting trees and cleaning campaigns, we also hold environmental awareness seminars,” Tablo says. “The goal is to bring life back to gardens and parks and raise the individual's awareness and sense of responsibility towards the environment."
The project's organizers are asking citizens to agree to take responsibility for caring for the plants, and they have other plans.
"I feel a special and beautiful feeling when I see this plant bearing my name. This is a very important environmental initiative, and I hope it continues," says Majid Qader, 74, a volunteer.
Qader, who planted his plant in Imam Muhammad Park, said, "Planting this plant will contribute to increasing the greenery and adding more beauty to the park."
The initiative is taking its first steps, and regarding the reason for the small number of plants and trees planted in the past two months, Tablo Darbaz said, "We want to provide all the needs of the plants to ensure their good growth. We do not want to plant them and then they will be neglected by the people responsible for taking care of them."
In the first phase, areas were identified that were originally gardens and parks and have drip systems or are inside schools where water is available.
The goal is to expand the project
The project did not go beyond Kifri district, but the goal is to expand it to include all areas of Garmian, including Kalar and Darbandikhan districts.
"This is a long-term project and it will continue. We want to expand the project across Garmian and the Kurdistan Region. We do not want the impact of the project to be limited," according to Tablo.
The organizers of the initiative are thrilled with the commitment of the local volunteers.
Mohamed Adel (34 years old), one of the participants who took care of a tree, says, "I liked the idea. It's a nice feeling to be responsible for caring for a tree. It makes you attached to the environment."
"When I come back from work in the evening, I check my tree to see if it needs watering or not," says Adel.
What Mohamed feels about his mission is the goal that the initiative wants to achieve, which is to create a relationship between individuals and the environment.
"If the tree dies, I am ready to plant not just one plant but 10 plants in its place, and I also offer a helping hand to the project participants to expand it," Mohamed adds.
Director of the Parks Department at the General Directorate of Garmian Municipalities, Nihad Wali, welcomes the project and cooperates to make it a success, but he said, "It is better to have coordination between such groups and the Directorate of Municipalities to exchange opinions on choosing the preferred types of trees for planting and the appropriate locations for planting them," adding, "We do not want the trees to be cut down later if they fall within the municipality's projects and plans."
Priority for Albizia and Acacia trees
Albizia and Acacia trees are among the varieties that the project relies on because, according to Tablo, they have been tested in Garmian and have proven their ability to withstand Garmian's climate.
"In fact, the choice of these two types of trees came after consulting with the municipality, they are the ones who suggested them to us," Tablo says and the municipality is the one that distributes these trees to them for free through its nurseries.
Over the past years, officials in the Garmian administration have been keen to increase green spaces in Garmian by planting these types of trees.
However, the current percentage is not satisfactory to the Garmian Environment Department, so it considers the initiative very important.
"We have young activists working in the field of environment in groups or individuals, this is a source of pleasure," said Duraid Salim, the director of the Garmian Environment Department.
There have been many greening campaigns in Garmian, but no one has taken responsibility for overseeing them
“The percentage of greenery is our biggest problem, so planting any type of tree is important even if in small numbers in order to serve the environment, raise awareness and spread environmental culture... I believe that in the future we will be able to work with this group and its initiative."
The population of Garmian administration is estimated at 343,594 people, according to statistics from the Garmian Statistics Directorate. Project managers said they are looking to convince the largest number of residents in the coming years to take responsibility for caring for trees and plants.
A statistic from the General Directorate of Municipalities of Garmian indicates that there are 243 large public parks and gardens in Garmian, 83 of which are located in the district of Kifri.
"Many afforestation campaigns have been launched in Garmian, but after planting the trees, they were not taken care of, but this initiative is different," says Azad Ahmed, an environmental activist.
Opening courses for fine arts related to nature and the environment is another task of the "Let's Make Garmian Green" project with the aim of spreading environmental awareness.
"The participants in these courses are five to 18 years old, and they learn how to draw nature, wild animals and other environmental topics," Tablo says.
The obstacles and challenges facing the project are the lack of clear plans to deal with sites that are not originally parks, schools or public departments, as well as how to secure water in the future to water the trees that are planted in these places.
"The financial situation of the group is hindering our tasks. We cannot develop the initiative as needed," says Tablo. "The financial aspect is important for any project to move forward and succeed. Like other groups and organizations, we suffer from the budget problem. We ask the relevant authorities to provide us with support to expand our work."
The director of the parks department at the General Directorate of Municipalities in Garmian, Nihad Wali, believes that consultations are important to know what can be done to support the project, whether by providing trees or other means of support.
