The ‘DP Tree Book’ mobile app was officially launched during the Earth Summit 2024 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo on 14 February under the patronage of MP Dhammika Perera,
Chairman of the Dhammika and Priscilla Perera Foundation.
With Sri Lanka facing the imminent threat of extinction for 1496 tree species, the DP Tree Book app aims to address this crisis by enabling users to tag and map replanted trees on Google Maps.
This innovative approach will facilitate the tracking and quantification of reforestation efforts for endangered plant species.
Expressing his vision for the initiative, MP Perera articulated his goal of planting 10 million trees from the endangered species pool, emphasising the importance of collective action in this endeavor.
Commenting on the app’s development, Mr. Perera stated, “The reason for developing this app is that I personally planted 500,000 trees between 2000 and 2019, documented in a book called ‘Tree Book’. However, in an analog system, it’s challenging to monitor the treatment of these trees. Hence, a digital solution was devised to facilitate this process. Our aim is to unite the entire nation to plant 10 million endangered trees.”
The launch event saw the participation of esteemed members of the Maha Sangha, environmentalists, and other stakeholders, highlighting the widespread support and collaboration for this critical environmental initiative.
(LNW)
