7 December 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) formally handed over the management of the Billion Tree Campaign, which has led to the planting of 12 billion trees in 193 countries, to the youth-led environment organization Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation. The handover ceremony occurred on the sidelines of the Durban Climate Change Conference.

Noting that the Campaign always had been considered finite, UNEP explains that it had a choice between bringing the Campaign to a close, or transferring it to a partner. According to UNEP, the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation’s emphasis on young people, its academies on climate change and existing commitment to the Billion Tree Campaign will allow the Campaign to continue as a supportive element in a wider youth initiative.

The Billion Tree Campaign was inspired by the work of the late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement. It aims to improve quality of life and limit environmental degradation through the benefits provided by trees, including mitigating climate change through the sequestration of carbon, contributing to local economies through products such as timber, and providing ecosystem services such as soil regulation, erosion control and cultural values. [UNEP Press Release] [UN Press Release]