Greater Hyderabad has bagged another feather in its cap by being recognized as a 2020 'Tree City of the World' by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its commitment towards growing and maintaining a sizeable urban forest cover. Hyderabad is the only city in India to receive this recognition.

This is the foundation's second year in the programme. The city has been given this title along with 51 other cities. A total of 120 cities from 63 countries are part of this project. Most of the cities were from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and so on. According to the state government, through this recognition, Hyderabad City will join a network of like-minded cities, who recognise the importance of trees in building healthy, resilient and happy cities.

For a city to become eligible for this title, it needs to fulfil five standards: establish responsibility, set proper policies around the management of forests and trees, keep an inventory of local tree resources, have a dedicated annual budget for a tree management plan and celebrate gree achievements with the citizens. The city has shown its commitment by meeting all the five standards which showed its dedication and determination towards planting and conserving trees for a greener future, the evaluators said.

The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MA&UD) applied for this recognition online on January 31 this year. The department has been at the forefront of many green projects including the execution of Haritha Haram initiative.

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