Woodland across England is set to grow by 2,300 hectares this year, the equivalent of about 3,220 football pitches, under new government plans.
The plan from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will see 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide absorbed by 2050.
Defra said the project would create “larger, well-designed and more diverse woodlands” and that planting would focus on areas with the lowest tree cover.
Species-rich woodlands are more resilient to climate change, because different types of trees have varying tolerance to heat and drought.
They are also better at weathering hazards such as wildfires and storms than monoculture forests used for timber, and can help reduce flooding by slowing the flow of water through landscapes at risk.
England’s 13 community forests, regeneration projects around some of the largest towns and cities set up over the past 30 years are all set to benefit from the funding.
Among them are the Humber, Mersey, Northern and Great Northumberland forests.
Defra said the funding would give more people greater access to nature and help improve health and well-being, as well as creating jobs within the forestry and environmental sectors.
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Funding will come from the £750 million ($913m) Nature for Climate Fund, which was announced at the end of 2020.
About £675m of the fund has been allocated to the England Trees Action Plan, which aims to treble tree-planting rates by the end of this Parliament as part of the government’s net-zero strategy.
Defra pegged the carbon sequestration value of the newly announced planting at £100m over the next 30 years.
“Our economies, livelihoods and well-being all rely on nature," said Forestry Minister, Lord Zac Goldsmith.
“As well as tackling the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, this significant funding will create diverse treescapes across the country and improve the health and well-being of local communities by giving them more opportunities to enjoy nature on their doorstep.”
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“The social, environmental and economic benefits of being in woodlands are well-documented, helping local communities to be happier, healthier and more pleasant places to live," said Sir William Worsley, Forestry Commission chairman.
“It is a personal mission of mine to make sure as many people as possible get to experience these benefits.
“This funding will ensure we plant trees in areas close to where people live, as well as providing job opportunities in new woodland creation through planting, establishing and managing trees."
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
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The Details
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Two stars
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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MATCH INFO
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