PESHAWAR – The Khyber Pakthunkhwa Government has started work on a giganticafforestation plan to increase forest areas up to 30 percent in next fiveyears to mitigate growing effects of global warming and climate change inthe country.
Under the plan, Billion Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) has beenextended to merged tribal districts of erstwhile FATA to use its vast landfor plantation and efforts would be made to enhance forest cover to 30percent from existing 26.3pc by 2023 in Khyber Pakthunkhwa, a seniorofficial of Forest Department KP told APP on Sunday.
A comprehensive action plan has been evolved by Forest Department underwhich 33.474 million saplings available in departmental and privatenurseries would be planted during ongoing spring plantation campaign in theprovince including recently merged tribal districts.
“Currently, we have around 17.490 million saplings fit for plantation andthe remaining will be obtained through private sector,” the official said,adding in addition to it, bare-rooted and tub nurseries raised in differentdistricts by the Forest Department were almost ready for plantation, whichwould be sown with the help of farmers, general public and nationalbuilding departments in large scale.
It is for the first time that spring plantation campaign has been extendedto merged tribal districts where 5.994 million saplings would be plantedwith the help of educational institutes, tribesmen, NGOs, forest departmentand Govt department to make these rugged and mountainous areas lush green.
As many as 5.717 million seedlings would be planted with help of masses andgeneral public, 3.209 million through farm forestry, 0.571 million withhelp of defense forces and 0.376 million of educational institutions, theofficial said, adding focus would be made to native species in upcomingplantations to strengthen beekeeping sector.
A total of 26.3pc area is currently under forest cover in KP afterregistering six percent increase during last five years owing to whoppingplantation of one billion and 18 crore saplings planted under BillionsTrees Afforestation Project (BTAP), he said.
BTAP has remained highly successful as under this project 600 millionplants were planted through enclosures over an area of 306983 hectares and200 million through man made plantations in 263213 hectares besides 200million saplings in 593292 hectares with help of farm forestry, registeringoverall all increase of 6.3pc in total forest area of KP.
He said BTAP was initially planned for five years with a cost of Rs 28000million and later was redesigned at reduced cost of Rs 22000 million,adding 120pc of record one billion seedlings has been achieved at a totalcost of Rs12982 million.
The official said said survival rate of BTAP as reported by WWF is 88pc andmore than five lakh individual get jobs.BTAP was globally recognized in the fight against climate change.
The BONN challenge commitment of restoring of restoring and rehabilitatingdegraded forests and raising new plantations over 3,48,000 hectares, hasbeen surpassed and the BONN Challenge through IUCN has certified thislandmark achievement.He said additional 252000 hectares forests restoration pledge of KP Govthas been official accepted by the BONN challenge in its meeting held inBrazil during March 2018.
BTAP is the world’s fourth biggest plantation drive in KP, after China,India, and Ethiopia and was also recognized by Asian Protected AreaPartnership, World Economic Forum, Conference of Parties (COP-21), WWF andIUCN.
Peshawar has got ‘Changa Manga’ like mega forest at Gari Chandan where 2.5million saplings were raised on 2500 hectares under BTAP.
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He said similar forests were also raised in DI Khan where millions ofplants were raised on Chashma Road.Keeping in view of successful completion of BTAP in KP, the FederalGovernment has launched Plant for Pakistan Program under which 10 billionsaplings would be planted in the country including one billion in KhyberPakthunkhwa during next five years. He said objective of extending of BTAPto merged tribal districts was to achieve target of one billion saplingsset under Plant for Pakistan for KP.
The official said Secretary Environment and Forests Syed Nazar Hussain Shahand other senior officials of KP Forest Department has held importantmeetings with senior officers of respective forest departments of theprovinces and shared our experiences with them about BTAP model.
He said KP Forest Department is ready to provide technical assistance toother provinces for Plant of Pakistan.“This substantial increase in forests cover was recorded after former PTIGovt devised and implemented Green Growth Initiative (GGI) with main focusin six focal sectors including forestry, protected areas and nationalparks, clean energy, climate resilience, water and sanitation and wastemanagement.”
Incepted by Pakistan Forest Institute Peshawar, GGI’s aim is to revisit andimprove existing forest policy besides coming up with a viable solution howto combat climate change.
Capitalizing on GGI, the then PTI Government successfully started andimplemented BTAP besides devised first-ever provincial climate changepolicy 2016, range land policy and Reducing emissions from deforestationand forest degradation (REDD)+ strategy with main focus on increasingforestry cover through massive plantations.Based on successful implementation of the above-mentioned initiatives,incumbent KP Govt during its cabinet meeting held on September 5, 2018, haddecided to develop KP own Green Growth Strategy (KPGGS) with a direction toSecretary Environment and Forests KP to develop and submit recommendationsfor viable KPGGS along with action plan.
Subsequently, a high-level core committee was formed with proposed outlinesfor KPGGS including institutional legal reforms, development of sustainableinfrastructure, promoting green and clean development, promoting green lifestyle and green growth while reducing green house gas emissions,controlling pollution, inefficient use of resources and maintainingbiodiversity.
The strategy devised for green growth was approved by KP Cabinet onNovember 8, 2011 with salient features to increase existing forest cover atleast by 4pc till 2023 that can be achieved after plantation of additionalone billion seedlings under Plant for Pakistan initiative of Prime MinisterImran Khan.
In line with GGI, the KP Forest Department has shaped new policy to involveprivate sector and local communities to plant additional one billionsaplings in next five years besides supplementing natural regeneration in6250 enclosures spreading over 250,000 hectares in under stocked foreststhrough active participation of local community over the project period.
Efforts would be made to bring an additional 107970 hectares area overperiod of five years besides improving forest quality and sustainableforest management, restructuring and institutional improvement.
The problem of deforestation and degradation would be addressed byinvolving local communities to take care of new plantations with financialsupport besides reducing gas emissions through REDD+viz a viz carrying outlivelihood improvement and poverty reduction through promotion ofnon-timber forest produce (NTFP).
He said establishment of Biodiversity Knowledge Parks, promotion of rangeland management through innovative and modern range management techniques,development of eco-tourism in line with Forest Ordinance 2002 and KP Rulesof Business 1985 and adaptive research for development of Climate SmartForestry would help protect and conserve Green Gold.APP/fam/
