Naval chief asks people to plant trees

Naval chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi has said that he is confident that the pine tree plantation campaign alongwith the mangrove and spring tree plantation campaigns being undertaken by the Pakistan Navy would contribute towards the national efforts in this regard.

In a statement issued by the PN on Wednesday, he said the world was facing severe environmental challenges due to a high deforestation rate. As per the statistics published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation, in Pakistan, the percentage of forests with respect to land area has dropped from 3.3 per cent to 1.9 per cent in the last 25 years (1990-2015).

Realising the severity of the situation, the federal and provincial governments have taken concrete steps to stop deforestation and increase plantation. In this regard, a comprehensive campaign titled ‘Green Pakistan’ has been launched by the government. Afforestation is vital for our socio-economic development and a sustainable ecosystem.

For years, apart from the contributions toward food, fiber, livelihood, resources and water, trees have been instrumental in checking the adverse effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are alarming and its consequences are being felt in the shape of unpredictable weather conditions. There was a time in the early 80s that the Margalla Hills would receive quite sizable winter snowfall but this beauty is now a part of history primarily due to climate change and frequent fire incidents.

The Pakistan Navy, being the immediate neighbour of the Margalla Hills, felt the effects of this adverse weather and man-made calamities the most. Thus, taking the lead to ensure the institutionalisation of necessary measures to mitigate such climatic effects, it has planned to plant one million plants on the Margalla Hills in the next three years in a phased campaign.