A primary school in Nadur teamed up with an environmental NGO to plant locally grown indigenous trees on Friday.

Pupils and staff from Gozo College Dun Salv Vella Nadur Primary School teamed up with volunteers from newly registered NGO Siġar, with direction from local tree expert Joseph Bonello.

Students from the school’s EkoSkola group had helped prepare the site during a previous session, digging planting holes and learning about watering and other maintenance in preparation for the trees’ arrival.

Carob, Elm and Judas trees were then planted at the prepared site.

In a statement, Siġar said it hoped to extend its work with local schools and planned to offer free small-scale educational sessions on tree planting in villages across Gozo.

The NGO stressed that planting indigenous trees, particularly in urban environments, can help fight climate change and support biodiversity while requiring less water and fertiliser due to being adapted to Gozo’s climate.

It said it was committed to only using young trees raised from local seeds in collaboration with the island’s Plant Nursery and Experimental Farm managed by the Rural Gozo Directorate.

“With less than 1% of forest cover across the Maltese Islands, Siġar NGO also believes there are many potential opportunities for small-scale tree planting projects within Gozo villages,” it said.

Friday’s tree planting session was carried out in partnership with the Gozo Ministry.