Explained: What is the ‘Tree City of the World’ tag that Mumbai, Hyderabad have been awarded?

What is the News?

Mumbai and Hyderabad have been recognised as ‘2021 Tree City of the World’ by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(UN-FAO) and Arbor Day Foundation.

Note: Hyderabad and Mumbai are recognised alongside 136 other cities from 21 countries. While Mumbai has made the list for the first time, Hyderabad has been featured on the list for the second consecutive year.

What is the Tree City of the World?

Started by: United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) and the American non-profit organization Arbor Day Foundation.

Purpose: It is an international effort to recognise cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.

Criteria: ​​ To receive recognition, a town or city must meet five core standards:

Establish Responsibility: The city must have a written statement by city leaders. It must clearly delegate responsibility for the care of trees within its municipal boundary to either a staff member, a city department, or a group of citizens—called a Tree Board.

Set the Rules: The city should have a law or an official policy that governs the management of forests and trees.

Know What You Have: The city should have an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resource. It will be helpful in effective long-term planning for planting, care, and removal of city trees.

Allocate the Resources: The city must have a dedicated annual budget for the implementation of the tree management plan.

Celebrate Achievements: The city holds an annual celebration of trees. It will raise awareness among residents, citizens and staff members who carry out the city tree programme.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What is the ‘Tree City of the World’ tag that Mumbai, Hyderabad have been awarded?” published in Firstpost on 13th April 2022.