108,000 Trees Planted in Bhutan to Create a Better World in Celebration of Newborn Prince

In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, 108,000 trees have been planted in honor of the birth of a new prince, son of King Khesar and Queen Pema. In this Buddhist nation, trees symbolize longevity, beauty, health, and compassion and by planting trees, they’re hoping to create a better world for the future.

And it’s no secret that our world would be a better place if we had more trees. After all, our climate depends on the trees to be the Earth’s lungs. With major causes such as high demand for palm oil and animal agriculture driving deforestation, it is estimated that 36 football fields of forests are destroyed every minute.That means we’re losing about 135 species of animals, plants, and insects a day. According to National Geographic, if we continue at our  current rate of deforestation, the world’s rainforests could diminish and virtually vanish within the next 100 years.

Luckily, countries like Bhutan are taking action and setting an example for countries around the world.

Last year, Bhutan broke a world record by planting over 49,000 trees in one hour! Additionally, their constitution mandates that 60 percent of the country’s land must be covered in trees.

Bhutan is also home to a “Happiness Garden,” which invites visitors to plant trees representing their home countries. “Bhutan is known as a country of happiness. To have a happiness garden is therefore logical. With this garden, we hope to bring the peoples of the world closer,” said Damchoe Rinzin, a spokesperson for the Tourism Council of Bhutan.

Imagine what would happen if each of us planted a tree every time a child was born? We might not all be royalty, but we can certainly do our part to make sure that we leave our Earth a better place for future generations.

All image source: India Times