 The 2021 desertification and drought day held on June 17th focused on turning degraded land into healthy land. In an effort to restore ecosystem services and integrate the ecosystem management approach, the Department of Forestry in collaboration with FIST Caribbean Bank CIBC held a tree planting event in Monsito. Assessments carried out by the Department of Forestry provided evidence of over-utilization of resources for livelihoods in the area, which has the potential to result in a loss of resource base. The forest reserve was intentionally cleared for the production of charcoal and planting of agricultural crops. The activities saw the transplanting of approximately 300 trees with an eye toward combating deforestation. Country manager FIST Caribbean Bank CIBC Saint Lucia Nigel Olivier says that this initiative comes at a fitting time as the bank celebrates its 100th year of banking in the Caribbean. We wanted to have something that would be significant and long lasting and something that would contribute to keeping a greener space and it sort of fitted well with the fact that we have branches throughout the region in all 16 territories and as you know the branch a branch is also a part of a tree and we thought that you know that would be a good thing to do so we decided that let's do some tree planting and so we've done that in all our territories and you know today here in Saint Lucia and quite frankly I think we're probably going to be the best because I think we have you know very special partnership in that today sort of fits in with what is happening as a country and then overall with what we're doing as a bank. The event saw many other national agencies and NGOs coming together in solidarity for the cause. Acting chief forestry officer Alwyn Donnelly says the tree planting campaign also aims to help raise environmental awareness and shed light on the importance of its protection. The activity here today would bring you know all those stakeholders all our partners to actually come and plant the tree so they would actually take the tree and place it in the soil you know it's not like we planting and they just come in and watch no they actually come in to plant and and that is also significant because you know that kind of activity can be replicated could be done you know in other places they can come back in the next three to six months you know and see the progress you know of what their own their own work you know their own labor they could come back and and see it and in that way you know when you know people are engaged you know in that way doing the practical work themselves I mean sometimes there is a greater value you know that they place on the resources seat. Mr. Donnelly encourages the public to continue to adhere to regulations put in place by the Department of Forestry as the forest reserve and protected forest systems of the country are intended to perform essential functions such as safeguarding and regulating the island's water supply and preventing soil erosion and landslides. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture I am Anicia Antoine-Report.