Bureau Report
PESHAWAR: Vulnerable to climate change due to its geo-political and geographical placement, Pakistan was facing looming threats of water scarcity and food security due to changing patterns of weather, floods, deforestation, drought and desertification.
The adverse effects of climate change could be witnessed from floods of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 in the country’s different areas besides worst drought during 1999-2003, two cyclones in Karachi and Gwadar coast in 2008, increased incidences of landslides, avalanches and Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GOLFs) in the northern areas of Pakistan.
A traveler could see the damages of climate change and desertification while passing through Mardan and Swabi districts on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and Karak, Lakki Marwat and D I Khan districts on Indus Highway where vast land was made barren due to water scarcity, drought and deforestation.
The forest policy 2015 has revealed that Pakistan has a lowest 5% forest cover against 25% as per international standards.
“Pakistan was losing 27,000 hectares of forest every year mainly in private and community owned forests as the green gold was under enormous pressure in Gilgit Baltistan and KP due to rapid population growth, increased demand for wood and lands’ encroachment,” the policy disclosed.
To counter all these grave challenges and honour commitment made with international organizations by Pakistan, the PTI government has devised and implemented Green Growth Initiative (GGI) focusing on six main sectors including forestry, protected areas and national parks, clean energy, climate resilience, water & sanitation and waste management.Capitalizing on GGI, an ambitious Billion Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) has been launched in November 2014 by the then PTI Government under which a record one billion and 18 crores plants including 600 million on 306,983 hectares through forest enclosures, 200 million on 263,213 hectares manmade and 200 million through farm forestry were planted during 2014-17 in KP.
BTAP the 4th biggest initiative in green sector worldwide after China, India, and Ethiopia and first in Pakistan, has increased KP’s forest covered area to record 26.6pc in 2017 from 20.3pc in 2013, registering 6.3 percent increase and efforts were underway to enhance it up to 30pc during next three years after bringing the vast land of merged areas (Erstwhile Fata) under afforestation cover. Resultantly, KP has exceeded 25pc forest cover as per international standard courtesy to billion trees projects.
At least 10 new small and big jungles have been raised in the province including Ghari Chandan Peshawar where over 3.2million saplings on 32,000 hectares were planted in the first phase of the project. Garhi Chandan forest is bigger than Changa Manga and is full of nests of native and migratory birds besides serving as habitat for wildlife.
These new jungles have created breeding grounds for native & exotic wild species and migratory birds including falcons, bears, houbara, cranes, leopard, ducks, monkeys, foxes, wolves, jackals, pheasants and national bird chakor to thrive besides made positive impact on non timber forests produce (NTFP) including honey, furniture, medicinal plants and ecotourism.
Muhammad Tehmasip Khan, Project Director, 10BTAP told APP that following enormous success of the first phase of the project, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced 10BTAP project on September 2, 2018 for entire country under which additional one billion saplings would be sown in KP by 2023.
