Combating climate change, desertification through spring trees plantation- A viable solution
PESHAWAR (APP): Vulnerable to climate change and desertification, Pakistan is losing about 27,000 hectares of forests per year due to poverty, population bulge and erratic weather patterns in recent years.
The National Forest Policy 2015 has revealed that Pakistan’s total forest-covered area was about five percent where about 27,000 hectares of forests per year mainly in private and community-owned natural forests are being lost, thus making the province vulnerable to climate change, drought and desertification.
The forest resources in all provinces, especially in KP and Gilgit Baltistan were under tremendous pressure, particularly in the communal lands, shamalats, guzara, and privately owned forests that had negatively impacted on the agriculture sectors, it said.
The deforestation in watershed areas has adversely impacted agriculture yield and quantity of water at outlets besides triggering land degradation, and loss of biodiversity, and wildlife in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In riparian and coastal areas, especially in Sindh and Balochistan, deforestation has amplified floods and facilitated sea water intrusion thus inflicting huge economic losses due to the government kitty as evidenced by the devastating 2010 and 2022 floods.
Comparing Pakistan’s deforestation rate with the world, Dr. Mumtaz Malik, former Chief Conservator of Wildlife KP said that globally around 10 million hectares of forest were deforested every year – equal to the area of Portugal.
He said around half of this deforestation was counterbalanced by re-growing of forests, which means that an overall around five million hectares of the green gold was lost per year worldwide.
Dr Mumtaz said that overpopulation, poverty, and unnecessary trees logging besides erratic weather patterns due to climate change was one of the major causes of high rate of deforestation in the province.
In 1947, he said Pakistan’s population was only 37 million that had jumped to a record 223 million in 2022 and if it continued growing with such a high pace it is expected to touch 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050 resulting in the vanishing of the green gold, wildlife, and bees population.
Dr. Mumtaz said that about 68 percent of forests in the country were being used as firewood and 15 percent of trees were being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands and demanded complete ban on cutting of trees, especially bees flora plants.
He warned, “If we do not change our green sector policies and shift to the adaptation of alternative energy resources including solar, hydroelectric, biomass and wind then there is every possibility of losing the existing forests in the next two decades besides witnessing frequent climate change’s disasters.
Dr. Mumtaz said that deforestation was a national challenge and there was a need to impose a ‘green emergency’ to conserve and protect the green gold by looking above party politics.
Taking cognizance of the deforestation and climate change, the Khyber Pakthunkhwa government has chalked out a comprehensive plan of action for afforestation in massive scale under its spring plantation campaign started in all districts of the province.
KP Forest Department spokesman told APP that 12 million seedlings would be planted in Khyber Pakthunkhwa under the spring afforestation campaign including merged tribal districts.
He said about five million saplings would be planted in central southern region 1 including Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and southern districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa. He said that 3.806 million saplings would be planted in Malakand Forest Region III Swat including Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Chitral and Dir districts where usher and mass plantation would be carried out.
The spokesman said that educational institutions, farmers and the general public would be involved besides national institutions and Govt departments to achieve the set targets.
The barren lands and rugged mountains of merged tribal districts would be utilized to achieve the set targets.
He said that farmers and the general public were being encouraged to approach divisional forest officers offices in their respective districts for obtaining plants for afforestation. He said that if every person plants at least two plants in a year and looks after it then 480 million saplings would be planted in one calendar year.
The spokesman said that tree plantation was a national obligation and urged the public to take part in the spring afforestation drive to make the province lush green.
