Addis Ababa: Ethiopians are awaiting a historic record breaking in tree planting as millions nationwide have turned out this morning to plant 600 million seedlings today. Over the past five years, Ethiopia has achieved remarkable milestones in mass tree planting, achieving two set records of its own. For instance, the country made a remarkable history by planting 566 millions of tree saplings in a single day last year. Today, the country has set a target of planting 600 million saplings until the sun sets down. This year's Green Legacy initiative dubbed as "A Country that Plants; A Generation that Sustains!" is underway to plant 7.5 billion of seedlings. People from all walks of life including diplomatic corps and foreign citizens in Ethiopia are participating in this ambitious goal of planting 600 million seedlings. So far, 234 million saplings have been planted in this morning's mass tree-planting effort, according to State Minister of Government Communication Service, Selamawit Kassa. Launched in 20 19 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Green Legacy Initiative has made a significant impact, inspiring many Ethiopians with its tree-planting achievements. Last year Ethiopia broke its own record by planting 560 million trees in 12 hours, where millions of Ethiopians came out nationwide. The record surpassed the previous record of 350 million saplings set in August 2019. So far, the Green Legacy Initiative has significantly increased the country's forest cover. By June 2024, Ethiopia's forest cover report of 2023 was launched, standing at 23.6 percent from 17.2 percent in 2019. Recall that Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa is facing drought and environmental degradation, worsened by climate change which will push million people into severe food insecurity. To this effect, the Green Legacy Initiative launched in 2019 has made significant boosting to: forest cover, agroforestry, eco-tourism, greening urban areas, restoring degraded lands, soil moisture thereby ensuring food security. Sources indicate that Et hiopia has planted 32.5 billion tree seedlings over the past five years. During this rainy season, an additional 7.5 billion seedlings are expected, bringing the total to 40 billion. Currently, 56 percent of these seedlings are fruit and multipurpose plants. Today, Ethiopians across the country are waiting for another record breaking of planting 600 million saplings. Source: Ethiopian News Agency