Between July and August 2021, more than 200 wildfires reportedly burnt 1,700 square kilometres of forested areas in Turkey, particularly in the southern regions.
The summer fires naturally affected the country’s ecological balance and prompted the Turkish government to announce a large-scale reforestation exercise in the affected areas. As replanting efforts got underway just months after the fires, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly said the country would plant seven billion trees by 2023.
In December, QNET Turkey got in on the act by contributing and helping plant 1,000 tree saplings in a joint effort with a local non-profit, the Association for Solidarity of Environmental Organisations (CEKUD).
Fifteen QNET employees spent a day planting the saplings in an allocated field in the Pendik district of Istanbul as part of RYTHM Foundation’s Sustainable Community Development priority area. RYTHM is the QI Group’s social impact initiative.
CEKUD was established in 1999 by environmental volunteers from various occupational groups. The association aims to raise environmental awareness, develop ecological ethics, and encourage the public to be more environmentally sensitive.
