One Guest One Tree: Contributing to Nepal’s Green Future
One guest one tree is an initiative under which for every tourist that visits Nepal, one tree is planted. People generally plant these trees in locations where there is a scarcity of trees and greenery. The trees belonging to local species are only planted in these areas. The plantation can be performed by anyone who is a part of the Nepal tourism industry, may it be the hotels and resorts, lodges, campsites, and so on. This is a global initiative that slowly seems to have made its way in Nepal. It has made a significant impact globally, and in Nepal as well, it can prove to be significant.
To support this initiative, Trek Me Nepal is committed to promoting responsible trekking in Nepal by encouraging tourists to participate in tree planting activities during their treks.
Considering the fact that tourists mainly visit Nepal to enjoy its natural beauty, it is important that the country retains that quality. For sustainable tourism, this initiative can work wonders for the country. People have cut down trees on a massive scale in Nepal for many years. Many hilly regions in Nepal have lost their beauty, and become more prone to natural disasters such as landslides. Now, in order for these regions to get its beauty back, and be safe for the locals and the tourists, this Nepal green initiative has to be introduced.
Understanding the “One Guest One Tree” Initiative
In 2023, World Sustainability Foundation (WSF) which is an arm of the World Sustainability Organization started the WSF Restoration Project. This project was named ‘One Guest One Tree’ initiative. The WSF initiated the project by planting trees in Central Africa. Though the project started with Central Africa, WSF is considering planting trees in other parts of the world as well, provided that they find a right partner for the job. The initiative aims to ensure that communities benefit from tourism-related activities everywhere while practicing sustainable tourism. Tackling the negative environmental impact of deforestation is another major objective of the program.
How the Initiative Works
How One Guest One Tree works is a very simple question. For every tourist visiting the country, either the government or the stakeholders and the businesses operating in the tourism industry can take initiatives to plant trees. For every tourist that enters the country, and the ones that businesses serve, they need to plant a tree. Tourist participation is also possible in this initiative, and contribute by planting trees. The tree plantation process can be carried out with or without the support of WSF.
Why Nepal Needs Sustainable Tourism
In the name of development, and to fulfill the needs of the common public, recently deforestation has increased to a great extent. Massive cutting down of trees has invited natural disasters such as landslides. On top of that, the air quality of major cities of Nepal has also gone down. In order to tackle all these environmental challenges reforestation needs to be practiced. Conservation of trees needs to be ensured not just for a healthy environment, but also sustainable tourism in Nepal.
Environmental Benefits
Increase in the number of trees can play a crucial role in carbon sequestration as we all know that trees consume carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Expanding the area of the forests also results in rich biodiversity as animals and birds make their way to places with a high number of trees. All in all, the rise in the number of trees also helps in combating climate change. Uncontrolled carbon emission is the main reason behind climate change, and trees help reduce the amount of carbon in the air.
Social and Economic Benefits
One Guest One Tree initiative can also assist in job creation at a local level. With this initiative, there’s bound to be tourism benefits as the number of tourists visiting Nepal is definitely going to rise. The initiative can prove to be a tourist attraction. On the other hand, the governments can seek local community support and employ the locals to implement the initiative. In this way, the locals are able to earn money. The initiative will also bring the locals together and create an awareness among them regarding the value of trees.
How to Join the “One Guest One Tree” Initiative
The travel agencies offer travel packages with or without the ‘One Guest One Tree’ initiative. Depending on whether the tourists want to be a part of this initiative, they can sign up for the preferred package. Overall, the participation steps to join One Guest One Tree initiative. The package details clearly mention the activities that tourists will be involved in. It is important that they take the decision by carefully considering the details.
Booking a Sustainable Trip to Nepal
By joining a sustainable trip to Nepal, the tourists can experience a whole range of benefits. Firstly, apart from enjoyment, the tourists also feel a sense of responsibility by planting trees. The tourists get to develop closer connections with the locals, and get to understand their way of life. While generally, tourists seek only fun and adventure in a holiday, a sustainable trip could help them experience instances that are unique and memorable. The tourists should definitely consider booking details for such trips in Nepal.
Promoting “One Guest One Tree” Globally
Once the tourists have experienced sustainable trips as ‘One Guest One Tree’ they can play a significant role in global promotion of the movement. The World Sustainability Foundation can play an active role in inspiring sustainable tourism by partnering with tourism based institutions and organizations, and governments from all over the world, as they did in Central Africa. One of the social media tips concern the web users, as even the readers and website visitors who have come to realize about this initiative can spread the word in social media and raise the curiosity of other web users.
FAQs about “One Guest One Tree”
The following are some of the One Guest One Tress FAQs, and common questions asked about sustainable tourism and World Sustainability Foundation.
What is ‘One Guest One Tree’?
The World Sustainability Foundation started the initiative ‘One Guest One Tree.’ The idea is that with every tourist visiting the country, either the government or the businesses operating in the tourism industry plants a tree. They plant the trees in barren areas of Nepal.
What is sustainable tourism?
Sustainable tourism practices use present resources in a way that does not negatively impact the future. The focus is mainly on conservation of the environment, and creating long lasting income opportunities for the locals.
What is the World Sustainability Foundation?
World Sustainability Foundation (WSF) is an arm of the World Sustainability Organization that was founded by Paolo Bray. The organization is based in Paris, and with the key aim to conserve environments and ecosystems around the world, the organization operates globally.
Conclusion
‘One Guest One Tree’ initiative is the next step in the evolutionary process of regular travel packages. In the past, the tourists only thought about fun and adventure during their holidays. Now is the chance for them to visit Nepal and participate in ‘One Guest One Tree’. They can do something valuable, and contribute to the environment of the destination country.
Thanks to the World Sustainability Foundation, the initiative won’t just be responsible for increasing a country’s income through tourism, but also will be able to improve the environmental condition of the countries. To meet the objectives of such a noble initiative as ‘One Guest One Tree’, the world governments, the foundation, and the tourism businesses need to work together in the right direction.
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