Lions Club adds soursop to million-tree effort

The Lions Club has made its contribution to the national effort to plant one million trees with the planting of a soursop tree at the National Botanical Gardens on Monday.

In brief remarks, Lions Club District Governor Sub-District 60B, Claudio Buncamper, made clear that the club is deeply invested in helping the island in its reforestation efforts, adding that protecting the environment is a priority for its members.

He said: “Protecting the environment is a must, and as Lions it’s one of our core areas, and I’m very pleased and proud to be here today with my fellow Lions and Leos of Barbados, in helping to do our part in the society of Barbados by planting a soursop tree at the Botanical Gardens.”

Dendrologist Nigel Jones, Director of the National Botanical Gardens, thanked the Lions Club for contributing to the effort. He stressed that the large green space at the site is not only just for trees alone, but it will also aid in water conservation efforts, as a large portion of the island’s water supply comes from the gardens and surrounding areas.

“It’s just not green because of planting of trees, but we are looking at what the trees can really do,” said Jones.

“This area supplies a third of the island’s drinking water supply, which is about 12 million gallons a day. We have to protect this water, and planting trees of course is going to remove a lot of the nitrates and phosphates from the different sources that you will see in our samples from time to time.” (SB)