Al-Tamimi says she has been working mainly on informing people about the tree planting. Various pages on Facebook and on the messaging system WhatsApp have proven popular, she says, and the campaign has also passed on information to supporters about which plants grow best in Basra and how to care for them.
“The response has been great,” al-Tamimi says.
And in fact, some of the response has even come from further afield. Hassan Ali Mohammed is a farmer from northern Iraq, based in the Kurdish province of Sulaymaniyah. “I recently visited Basra and it was really sad to see the environmental degradation,” he explains. “That is why I donated a thousand seedlings and I would urge all other local plant breeders to donate too, as much as they can.”
The tree planters do face some challenges – things like scarce water supplies, the increasingly saline nature of local waterways and the lack of adequate desalinization plants. But, they hope, they have chosen the trees with the best possible chance to survive in these circumstances.
The success of the campaign can only be assured if everyone takes care of the trees, Mohammed advises the people of Basra. “You must protect the trees from animals and abusers and properly select and plant them,” he concludes.
Workers in one of Basra's municipal parks.
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