Our land, Our future. This is the tag line of this year’s World Environment Day (WED). It is an apt reminder of the existential link between the land under our feet and our survival on Earth. The land provides us with food, nourishment, shade and shelter but it is increasingly coming under threat from climate change and unsustainable practices.
This year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has designated the annual theme of WED as “land restoration, desertification and drought resilience”. Celebrated since 1973, World Environment Day has helped raise awareness about critical environmental issues and mobilize millions of people to take action to protect our planet.
The Aga Khan University organized global activities to commemorate the day, ranging from a global webinar to planting microforests on five campuses, display of students’ climate projects, and stalls to buy plants and organic produce. The diverse activities not only supplemented knowledge sharing with on-ground action but also united stakeholders and teams from across geographies and disciplines.
Global webinar
On 5th June, AKU hosted a webinar on ‘Partnerships and Innovations for Land and Climate Resilience’, bringing together diverse voices of experts, researchers, policymakers, innovators, and practitioners from Africa and Asia. The webinar discussed the critical role of collaborative efforts and cutting-edge practical solutions in promoting sustainable land management and its local impacts. The presentations covered a range of topics from land as living laboratories and the value of land assessments to micro-forests and nature-based solutions and shared innovative case studies on Moringa plantation for land and community wellbeing and monitoring impact through remote sensing .
To open the webinar, Dr. Carl Amrhein, AKU Provost, highlighted the importance of such discourse: “At AKU we are inspired by our Chancellor and Founder of AKU, His Highness the Aga Khan’s vision of responsible stewardship of the environment, ensuring that the earth can sustainably support future generations. His belief that through significant partnerships, we can share our experiences with others, create awareness, increase impact, influence policy and effect societal transformation.”
Stalls at the University Centre, Karachi
To engage AKU employees and students, two stalls were set up in the University Centre Courtyard at Stadium Road campus in Karachi, Pakistan. The landscaping team offered diverse indoor plants for sale, while the Projects & Construction team had on offer fresh organic vegetables and fruits from trial agricultural plots on the city’s outskirts. More than 500 plants were sold in only a few hours. The stalls promoted a healthy exchange of not just foods and ornamental plants, but also of ideas and information on organic farming practices and benefits of greenery.
Microforests
Fully in the theme of land restoration, AKU has initiated microforests on five of its campuses, in the cities of Nairobi, Dar-as-Salam, Arusha, Kampala, and Karachi. A microforest is a small, dense, biodiverse forest, in which at least 25 local species are planted very close together on a small piece of land; this is known as the Miyawaki method. The dense plantation has shown to support quick upwards growth of trees as they compete for sunlight.
Microforests offer a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits. Environmentally, they contribute to biodiversity by providing habitats for various plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife. They help sequester carbon, thus mitigating climate change, and improve air quality by filtering pollutants. Microforests also enhance soil health and water retention, reducing the risk of flooding and soil erosion. Not only do microforests rehabilitate land but they also inspire a deeper connection between people and nature. In the planting of these microforests at university campuses, AKU has engaged its own students, partner institutions, and local communities.
At the AKU University Centre in Nairobi, 100 trees and shrubs were planted in two locations. Students from all programmes and staff were joined by colleagues from the Aga Khan Foundation, Kenya.
At the AKU lands in Arusha, 300 trees of 25 native species were planted on 100 square meters. This plot is adjacent to the agricultural demo plots and hence will serve great value for education and engagement.
At AKU’s newest Nakawa campus in the heart of Kampala, AKU students joined hands with a dedicated team from the Aga Khan Foundation and members of the Ismaili National Council, to plant 500 trees of over 30 different species.
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Over 100 saplings were planted on a 40 square meter site at the Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam, where AKU students together with staff from AKU and the Aga Khan Health Services engaged in a day of partnership and celebration. Plantation also took place at a partner secondary school in Dar es Salaam.
In Karachi, due to weather conditions, a 150 square meter site is being prepared for plantation later in June, to extend the celebrations as ‘World Environment Month’. 500 saplings of 25 different fruit, medicinal and ornamental species are being prepared.
Successful land restoration requires a multi-faceted, multi-generational approach that aligns knowledge with engagement and action. AKU, with our AKDN and other partners, is committed to ensuring environmental protection and sustainability, to empower communities towards climate resilience, and to share our learning widely.
Discover more about AKU’s environment and sustainability work here.
