Ministers respond to alleged ‘tree massacres’

CAIRO - 13 June 2014: Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said trees in Merryland Park in Cairo have not been cut as rumored on social media, while Minister of Agriculture Sayed al-Qasir also denied Giza Zoo is cutting its old trees.

Merryland Park has been inspected more than once during the past month after receiving a similar complaint on May 17, according to a Thursday statement on the Ministry of Environment’s Facebook page.

Fouad said no trimming or pruning inside the Merryland Park is allowed except after coordination with the concerned authorities, which are the district council and the Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Authority. She also told the park’s official not to establish any commercial activities and to focus on increasing the green areas.

However, after investigating the earlier complaint, it was revealed that one unpaved area of the park had its trees cut to make way for a development plan to create green spaces and a walkway for people and bicycles. Unlike what the complaint stated, no commercial activities are planned to replace the trees. 

Pruning in the park had been carried out as a result of the large size of the trees and the possibility of branches falling, as well as infected trees with some diseases, according to the statement.

For his part, Qasir, the minister for agriculture, dispatched a committee to Giza Zoo after pictures tree pruning circulated on social media, alleging the trees are being cut down.

The committee found that the trees were only being pruned as regular protection and were not cut down. 
 

However, people on social media also share pictures of trees after being cut down across several streets in Egypt and complaining about having to walk in the sun after being protected by the shade. 
 

While many trees were cut down to make way for bridges and car parks as part of major development plans that target better transport infrastructure, Egyptian social media users claim trees are being cut for no apparent reason.