From the "Green Wall" to the rights of trees: New steps in ecology

Nowadays, tree planting stands as a key solution in the fight against environmental issues and climate change. Meanwhile, scientific discoveries continue to reveal the astonishing secrets of the plant world. Researchers have found that trees can communicate with each other through the "wood wide web"—a hidden network of underground roots and fungal mycelium.

Against this backdrop, the small Canadian municipality of Terrasse-Vaudreuil voted unanimously to recognize trees as living beings endowed with certain rights. Thus, this municipality became the first region in Canada to officially join the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Trees.

Green spaces also play a crucial role in large-scale global projects to combat desertification. A prime example is China's "Green Wall" program, aimed at containing the expansion of the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. Within this project, which started back in 1978, more than 66 billion trees have already been planted along a 4,500-kilometer belt. Today, advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and drones, are actively deployed in this effort.

Our country, in turn, demonstrates an exemplary model to the entire world in this direction. During mass afforestation campaigns traditionally held every spring and autumn, millions of shade and fruit trees are planted across the velayats. This makes a massive contribution to creating new ecosystems in the region and mitigating the impacts of climate change.