A CEREMONY took place in El Retiro park on World Earth Day, drawing attention from passersby in the centre of the Spanish capital.
Actor and ecologist Richard Torres renewed his vows with a tree planted in 1632, believed to be one of the oldest in the city and a long-standing symbol of the park.
The ceremony forms part of a series of public actions Torres has carried out in different countries, using visual and symbolic gestures to raise awareness about environmental protection.
While onlookers gathered as the ceremony unfolded, with Torres using the moment to express his emotional connection to nature and deliver a wider environmental message.
He described the act as something ‘crucial for humanity’, urging people to reflect on their relationship with the natural world.
‘I believe that every small action we take allows humanity to keep breathing,’ he said, noting he had carried out a similar ceremony with the same type tree back in 2022 in Brussels.
Torres said the symbolic weddings are meant to encourage people to think more deeply about the role they play in protecting the environment.
‘With this ceremony I invite people to open their minds and realise that the most important thing today is to protect nature, especially trees, which are the main suppliers of oxygen,’ he explained.
The activist, originally from the Peruvian Amazon, also stressed that humans depend far more on nature than the other way around.
‘For me it is very important to carry out this action, because nature does not really need us,’ he added.
He also pointed to the growing crisis in the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse yet threatened regions in the world.
Around 500,000 hectares of forest are destroyed each year due to deforestation, illegal mining and environmental damage, he warned, calling it an urgent situation that also affects indigenous communities.
As part of the initiative, he also announced plans to plant so-called ‘peace trees’ in cities to help improve urban environments.
The event ultimately aimed to spark conversation around the climate crisis and encourage stronger collective action to protect ecosystems such as the Amazon.
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