World Leaders to Plant Olive Saplings at COP31
Türkiye will host tree-planting events across its 81 provinces during the COP31 climate summit.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Environmental
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World leaders will plant olive saplings at the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye on Nov. 11, 2026. New peace forests will also be established across Türkiye's 81 provinces as part of the nation's afforestation campaign.
Why it matters
The planting events link a national tree-planting program, first declared in 2019, to the international climate conference. The peace forests are described as a first step toward creating carbon sink forests.
The planned effort covers 1,855,735 saplings across 2,301 hectares at 756 locations nationwide, with about 301,000 people expected to take part. These are announced projections, and the sapling survival rate has not been reported.
The players
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan is the President of Türkiye, who declared National Afforestation Day in 2019 and has led the country's large-scale tree-planting campaign.
Gelecege Nefes
Gelecege Nefes is the official Turkish platform through which citizens adopt saplings and learn where planting will take place.
The details
Saplings are monitored through field inspections, and maintenance and replacement planting are carried out where necessary. Citizens can adopt saplings free of charge through the Gelecege Nefes website, which also announces planting locations; ecological suitability and biodiversity are considered in project selection.
Timeline
2019: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declares National Afforestation Day.
Nov. 11, 2026: World leaders plant olive saplings at the COP31 venue in Türkiye.
Roadmap
The planting events extend Türkiye's National Afforestation Day program, declared in 2019, into the international COP31 climate summit. The peace forests are framed as an initial step toward establishing carbon sink forests.
Citizens can adopt saplings free of charge through the Gelecege Nefes website and find announced planting locations there. Participation is open to the public, with about 301,000 people expected to join the events.
The takeaway
Individuals can adopt a sapling at no cost and check announced planting locations on the Gelecege Nefes platform. The projects are monitored and replanted where needed.
What happens next
World leaders are scheduled to plant olive saplings at the COP31 venue on Nov. 11, 2026, and the national planting events will follow in the same period.
Further reading
For broader context on planting and climate efforts, explore Environmental coverage on the site.
More information
Adopt a sapling or find planting locations on the Gelecege Nefes sapling planting and adoption site.
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