Sindh to incentivise aforestation efforts, says CM

All provinces to be represented on forestry board being constituted by federal

government, minister for climate change assures Murad

The Sindh government plans to provide incentives to promote forestation and private investors would be engaged for the purpose, provincial chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid on Monday.

In a bid to restore Sindh’s ecology in line with international agreements, Murad said the government would expand and protect forests, natural habitats and watersheds and also make them sustainable.

The kinds of forestry to be expanded include farm, urban, commercial and industrial forestry, he said.

The efforts were shared with Hamid during a meeting held at the CM House; it was also attended by principal secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch and secretary forest Manzoor Shaikh.

The CM acknowledged that Pakistan ranked among countries with the lowest percentage of forest cover – five percent; he added that the major forest types in Sindh include coastal mangroves and riverine forests.

On this the federal minister added that Pakistan was home to some of the world’s most unique forests, including Juniper, Deodar, Oak and Chilghoza.

Further elaborating upon the significant benefits of forests, Murad said they not only improve physical and mental health of human beings but also provide you with medicinal plants; regulating water, controlling soil erosion, natural climate resilient safety nets and controlling infectious disease were among some of the other advantages discussed.

The CM ensured the federal minister that the government was devising implementation strategies for projects worked out in the light of challenges of climate change. 

He said wetlands, Ramsar Sites – wetland of global importance - in particular, are subject to tremendous pressure from ever increasing urbanisation. Disposal of effluent from infrastructure projects into wetlands was identified as a key problem.

“My government would install some effluent treatment plants in all industrial areas of the city to address the issue,” Murad claimed.

Zahid Hamid sharing the federal government’s endeavours to increase forestation said the government is establishing the trans-boundary economic corridors that could be an excellent opportunity for having interconnected protected areas, including wetlands, alongside the length of the economic corridors.

He added that these activities include protection, restoration and conservation of native plant species and animals along both sides of the economic corridors.

Hamid lauded Murad for his support and ability to address the issue, adding. He said he would present a bill on climate change in the Senate by the end of this week. He assured the chief minister that he would support the Sindh government in launching climate change effective projects.

The minister further said that the federal government is constituting a forestry board in which all provinces would be given due representation.