The planting of rare trees, especially from fruit species, should be increased in order to maintain environmental sustainability in the state and the country, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said.

He said this was because rare trees were tree species that are increasingly difficult to find now and that efforts to replant them should be made to ensure that the trees will not extinct in the years to come.

"I believe that through the planting of the trees, apart from making sure that they will not extinct, will also help reduce the impact of global warming through the absorption of carbon dioxide and this effort should be expanded nationwide," he said when launching the planting of trees programme in conjunction with the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA) Melaka Summit 2017 at Durian Daun Recreational Park here today.

During the programme, 200 rare trees of various species were planted, including 'jambu bol', 'sentul', 'asam gelugor', 'rokam', 'kerdas', 'kerian', 'beruas' and 'engkalak', which were rarely found outside forest areas in the state.

-- BERNAMA