Planting trees to protect against climate change

December 6, 2011

Tuticorin, the region in which SCAD works, receives 678mm of rainfall a year, which is 29% less than the average for the district. The communities who live in Tuticorin are already feeling the effects of drought, soil erosion and water depletion. Monsoon rains matter for crop irrigation and water supply, and people and livestock suffer heavily when the monsoon fails or is delayed. For the future of our communities in India we have started to plan adaptation strategies.

To this end we have been planting between 80,000 and 100,000 new indigenous saplings every year since we began working in the community 27 years ago. As a consequence, our campuses are lush and green and these areas have created a micro-climate where more rain falls and the temperatures are reduced. Trees provide shade from the scorching sun and fodder for the animals. Our aim is to plant more trees in the Tuticorin district and so help the area and communities be able to survive climate change.

Please help us to plant more trees. By donating $12 a month you will enable us to plant 10 trees a month, which makes a huge difference to people’s lives as you can see from our film about tree planting