Climate Change Ministry reviews Green Pakistan progress

ISLAMABAD: The Climate Change Ministry held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the progress of the six-year Rs3.652 billion Green Pakistan initiative and to set targets for the tree-planting drive during monsoon.

Reviewing the progress of each province during the spring campaign, which kicked off on February 9, 2018, the participants were informed that Balochistan, the driest province with least forest cover in the country, planted 1.37 million trees of its target of 1.5 million trees, registering the highest survival rate among all provinces at 92 percent.

Punjab planted 16.8 million trees, above its target of 12 million trees, with a survival rate of 80 percent. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fell short of its target of 52 millions, and planted 30.10 millions, registering a survival rate of 82 percent.

FATA planted 5.33 million trees of its target of 5.24 million trees, with an 85 percent survival rate. Azad Jammu and Kashmir had the worse survival rate with 70 percent trees surviving out of the 13.37 million trees planted.

The total cost of the programme was estimated at Rs3.652 billion for the period 2016-2021.

Interim Climate Change Minister Sheikh Muhammad Yousaf, while chairing the meeting, said every effort should be made to make Pakistan green, for which the ministry would provide support.

The minister highlighted that the need was to focus on the provinces having less forest cover. “We should make more investments in these provinces to increase their forest cover, and involve more institutions and students in the plantation drives,” he added.

Climate Change Ministry Secretary Khizer Hayat Khan told participants that the summary has been prepared for the inauguration of monsoon tree plantation by the prime minister.

All provinces and federating units updated the participants about their monsoon plantation targets with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa setting a target to plant the highest number of trees at 15 million.

Punjab set a goal to plant nine million trees, Sindh 11 million, Balochistan 0.6 million, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 3.6 million, Gilgit-Baltistan 0.5 million, FATA 5.3 million, National Highway Authority 0.5 million, International Union of Conservation of Nature 0.5 million, Pakistan Ordinance Factory 20,000, Ministry of Defence one million, Aeronautical Complex 20,000, and Heavy Industries Taxila 100,000 trees.

The total set target for Monsoon plantation 2018 is 47.14 millions. Under Green Pakistan Program, plantation will be done in addition to these targets as well.

The meeting also discussed the impact of alien species on plantation drives, especially urban forests, and Dr Abdur Rehman gave a presentation in this regard. He identified parthenium, Lantana Camara, Paper Mulberry, and Mesquet that have harmful effects on human health, agriculture, and biodiversity.

The campaign has gained importance due to Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change and related disasters. The country’s natural forests are under persistent threat of depletion due to erratic climatic and heavy demand of wood.

It is worth noting that in the past decade, recurrent spells of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, glacial lake outbursts, cyclones, and heat waves have taken a heavy toll on both life and property and adversely affected the country’s economic growth.

The super flood of 2010 alone caused damage worth around $10 billion, according to the Climate Change Profile of Pakistan published by the Asian Development Bank.