A Passion for Trees – Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement

Abstract

During her field work in the Kenyan countryside, biologist Wangari Maathai realised how destructive deforestation is, and decided to take action against it. Launching the Green Belt Movement, she started a tree-planting project. In addition, she spoke up for women’s rights and became a member of the Kenyan pro-democracy movement, for which she was arrested. But the Green Belt Movement began to flourish and spread to other countries. Up to now the Movement has established thousands of tree nurseries, mobilised hundreds of thousands of participants, and planted tens of millions of trees. Wangari Maathai showed that it is possible to reduce poverty and combat environmental destruction simultaneously by community-based programmes. In 2004 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize ‘for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.’