Life Terra plants more than 1.5 million trees to reconnect Europe with nature

Ana Tuñas Matilla The EU-funded Life Terra project has planted more than 1.5 million trees in 35 European countries, led by Spain, to restore the connection between people and nature and help meet the European Union's ambitious goal of planting 3 billion trees between 2020 and 2030.

In addition, the tagging and geolocation platform developed by Life Terra has recorded more than 40 million trees planted by numerous organizations working together in their environmental campaigns.

"What Life Terra aims to do, through tree planting and climate action, is reestablish the connection that we believe has been lost over time between human beings and the environment in which they live," Life Terra project manager Marcos López Ercilla explained to EFEverde.

Achieving this reconnection requires involving the general public and children in particular. Therefore, in five years, they have organized some 2,100 planting projects, with the participation of more than 120,500 people, and developed educational activities involving more than 385,000 students .

Spain: 400,000 trees

"The country where the most trees have been planted is Spain, with approximately 400,000 trees, and the municipality where we have planted the most is Las Rozas, in Madrid," noted López Ercilla, who emphasized that Life Terra promotes "planting the right tree, in the right place, and at the right time."

Therefore, in addition to traditional reforestation, they carry out agroforestry, syntropic agriculture, and regenerative agriculture, seeking the best nature-based solution for each case.

To increase the plantation's survival rate, they always work with several native and adapted species, because the more species there are, the more resilience and resistance they will have to extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, or pests, according to the expert.

Planting trees, shrubs, and herbs is important for capturing CO2, but also for increasing biodiversity and environmental resilience, improving soil conditions and water infiltration, and reducing erosion—all of which are "ecosystem services" that are fundamental to society, the economy, and the environment, he argued.

In addition to planting in natural areas to build ecosystem resilience, we must plant in cities and peri-urban areas because, he warned, these are the most polluted areas, where most of the population lives, and green spaces help improve health problems because they clean the air and reduce noise.

There is no future for cities without nature

Among the most active municipalities, Las Rozas (Madrid) stands out, having planted around 14,000 trees with Life Terra, which, together with other initiatives, has allowed them to achieve their goal of being carbon neutral this year, five years ahead of schedule, explained the mayor of the city, José de la Uz (PP) .

They have also reduced their carbon footprint by 68% since 2018, thanks, no doubt, to "green zone" policies, both in natural areas and within the city itself, which also has low-emission zones (LEZs) where, they asserted, there is no pollution.

The mayor encouraged all Spanish mayors to carry out reforestation or planting within their municipalities because it improves the environment and, therefore, the quality of life for citizens. He also emphasized the importance of balancing nature and technology.

In this regard, he explained that Las Rozas has a mental health plan that promotes coexistence with nature because being in contact with nature "helps us feel good" and warned that cities that do not commit to introducing or promoting nature within their communities "have a very bleak future."

"There is no future for cities without greenery. Less cement, less concrete, and more greenery, or making it more harmonious," the mayor asserted. EFEverde ATM