Punjar Range turns into green area under TBTT project

Rawalpindi:As many as 120,000 new trees have become part of the enclosure of the forest at Punjar Range of Rawalpindi where Assisted Natural Regeneration programme was initiated under the umbrella of Ten Billion Tree Tsunami (TBTT) project in 2018.

According to the details, the climate change ministry provided support to the provincial authorities to launch Assisted Natural Regeneration programme at Punjar Range to increase green cover in the Rawalpindi district. The enclosure measuring 150 acres of land was selected for this purpose and now the programme has started achieving goals set by the relevant authorities. The satellite images were taken now and dating back to 2018 showed a huge difference as barren spaces have turned into green areas and tree cover has increased to a considerable level. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has been recognized as a global leader for protecting the environment and battling climate change and was recently honoured to host World Environment Day. With Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision for conserving nature, the government is planting 10 billion trees, in the largest-ever tree plantation drive in the history of the country.

Through its nature conservation efforts, Pakistan has so far created employment opportunities for over 85,000 people since the emergence of coronavirus pandemic. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said the Assisted Natural Regeneration plan is well underway as Pakistan hosted this year’s World Environment Day on June 5, which also kicked off the formal launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).

He said while native trees are primarily grown in naturally regenerated areas, a mix of native and non-native species would also appear in plantations in the community forests. “The international financial institutions can grant Pakistan debt relief in exchange for meeting nature restoration targets, under a proposed first-of-its-kind bond,” he said. He said Assisted Natural Regeneration project is underway at indigenous ‘chilgoza’ forest in Zhob area and its production is likely to increase manifold in the coming years.