We all love forests and we all love the environment, don't we? But how many of us actually do something for the well-being of our planet? Today we learn the story of a man in Turkey who really loves the environment and has done something to preserve it!
His name is Hikmet Kaya and he started his career in 1978 as the Governor of the Forestry Administration in Boyabat, in Sinop, Turkey. He spent most of his life and career planting trees in desert areas while working.
When he retired 25 years later, he made the decision that his retirement would not stop his vision. He continued to work with his team and other people from the village and together they achieved the ultimate goal of planting 30 million saplings in the region! Long after his retirement, his work literally began to grow!
@Tohumtoprak
In this picture, we can clearly see what the place looked like before and how beautiful and full of trees it was afterwards!
Turkey really needs more actions like this, because in 2020 it will have lost 43.6kha of natural forest. Moreover, Turkey has lost 545 hectares of forest from 2001 to 2020, a decrease of 5.4% since 2000. So, we can understand that actions like Hikmet's are necessary for Turkey's green well-being. Let us hope that this environmental action will inspire other people in Turkey to create green paradises in their beautiful country.
Hikmet has also written a book called "Constructing the forest of Boyabat" in which he describes the process and his view of things (in Turkish).
Hikmet Kaya is a great example of a person who puts his heart and soul into doing something good for the planet, and he did it! Let us be inspired by this action and start taking care of our beautiful planet in practice.
Written by Foteini Skiza.
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