Calls to tidy up Bahrain’s growing forest of roadside trees are gathering momentum, with municipal councillors backing a parliamentary proposal to bring order, design and better maintenance to the kingdom’s expanding greenery.
The proposal, submitted by five MPs led by Bader Al Tamimi, seeks a national review of how trees are planted and their ongoing husbandry.
It has now received unanimous support from both the Muharraq Municipal Council and the Southern Municipal Council.
The push comes as Bahrain continues to expand its ambitious afforestation drive, which has already seen millions of trees planted nationwide as part of long-term environmental targets.
Mr Al Tamimi said the proposal does not oppose planting more trees, but rather aims to ensure the kingdom’s green expansion is organised, aesthetically pleasing and properly maintained.
“Our proposal focuses on improving the arrangement and maintenance of trees across Bahrain so that afforestation efforts achieve their full environmental and visual value,” he said.
“Bahrain has made major progress in increasing green cover, but the next step is to ensure trees are planted in a planned and structured way that enhances urban spaces rather than creating visual clutter.”
He added that a national landscaping framework would help unify planting styles, improve road visibility and ensure greenery complements Bahrain’s urban identity.
Support from municipal councils has strengthened the proposal, with councillors saying poor maintenance and random planting have created problems in several areas.
Muharraq Municipal Council chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar said the idea was long overdue, arguing that the kingdom’s landscaping often lacked artistic planning.
“Nothing artistic accompanies the trees except during the Formula One season and celebrations such as National Day and Accession to the Throne,” he said.
“People can’t see the view from Muharraq to Manama or vice versa because of thick trees that are untrimmed, uncut and almost junglistic.”
Mr Al Naar stressed that the goal should not be reducing the number of trees but improving how they are managed.
“I like the attention on afforestation, but we are not doing something substantial with it,” he said.
“We don’t want to set back the number of plantations – we want attention on what is being planted.
“Whether it is cleaning, trimming or arrangement, and even having shapes that match occasions or themes.”
His views were echoed by Southern Municipal Council Abdulla Abdullatif, who said the issue lies not in the initiative itself but the continued and long-term husbandry.
“It is not the plantation plan, execution or implementation – it is what is happening afterwards,” he said.
Mr Abdullatif said trees often receive little follow-up care once planted, resulting in overgrowth and poor visual organisation.
“This proposal is about ensuring that maintenance, trimming and landscaping continue after planting so the trees enhance the environment rather than becoming a problem,” he added.
The parliamentary initiative comes as Bahrain continues to exceed its annual planting targets under the national afforestation plan launched in 2022.
The government recently announced that 191,000 trees were planted in 2025 – surpassing the annual goal – bringing the total number planted across the kingdom to around 2.4 million as Bahrain works towards a target of 3.6 million trees by 2035.
Supporters of the proposal say better planning and maintenance will ensure the rapidly expanding green cover improves both the environment and the visual landscape of the kingdom.
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