“The situation is critical and we must act now. Green Solutions for Pakistan. Green business concerns re-use and recycling. For example, 75% includes only areas with more than 75% tree cover, whereas 10% includes all areas with more than 10% tree cover. Pakistani forests will vanish completely within 35 to 40 years if the government doesn’t take serious steps for protecting trees as well as forests. If that is the opinion of the experts, then Pakistan should fear for its survival. On the other hand, more and more trees should be planted along the road sides. December 18, 2013. Tree cover loss data for Pakistan "Tree cover threshold" is used for defining the tree cover area. As a nation, we have to face a lot of problems and damages due to floods. Forests play a vivacious role in the economic development of any country by attracting tourists, improving GDP as well as foreign exchange earnings. He counted scarcity of fresh water, marine pollution, industrialization and urbanization in coastal areas as factors depriving coastal areas from mangrove trees. I think they carry a lot of symbolic significance, perhaps our elite want to show that we are “arabun kay champchay” (sychophant of arabs). It is the global tree of future! Hence, we must stop wasting drinking water on plants. The next phase is National REDD+ strategy and its implementation framework, followed by raising awareness. Moving forward: solutions to deforestation. Hence, they imported eucalyptus from Australia to plant them in order to drain up water immediately as eucalyptus massively takes in water for its survival. Dr. Anis ur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF), an NGO working for the conservation of biodiversity in Himalayas, said that capital was shifted from Karachi to Islamabad because of this beautiful and serene environment. The landscape of Pakistan has always championed the diversity in flora and fauna. Since we have an invasion of mosquitos, dengue due to masses of filth, so plants beneficial to the environment should be promoted like Calendula or Basil as their leaves cure malaria, while chambeli or raat ki raani to work as mosquito repellents. The death of animals and plants can lead to a partial loss of human life. Otherwise our basic necessities, our economy and our very existence could be in danger”, added Saeed. These marine nurseries help local communities generate revenue apart from fishing. A few years ago, WWF monitored a leopard’s movement through a collar and observed that it took the route of Galliyat to Abbottabad and travelled for 8-9 days before coming back to Galliyat. “I don’t think any conservation efforts will really save Pakistan’s fast shrinking forests as long as the government does not deal with the timber mafia with an iron fist.”, said Saleem. deforestation 1. “You see even Afghan bastis (slums) have started using solar power which is not very costly and one can transfer to this mode of energy easily, in order to save trees from being cut”. Causes.3. The upsurge in housing societies and development projects in Pakistan has accelerated deforestation in the country. Deforestation is the replacement of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as cultivatable land, grazing land, desert, urban use, rural use or industrial use. The roots of eucalyptus are greedily searching water in the ground even wandering off to the gutters and depleting water reservoirs rapidly, paving way for the uglier forms of water scarcity. Deforestation in pakistan 1. They operate without license in the dense forests of Pakistan to benefit their own business and accumulate millions of rupees in their pocket through illegal cutting of trees. It’s mean that cutting huge numbers of plants have a direct impact on the environment which is directly contributing to the global warming. 75% tree cover reflects a dense canopy. “Our outreach would be to a diverse set of stakeholders including students, academia, local communities and policy makers so it will be a mix of all segments of our society”. “At first the ideology was to cut trees for livelihood but now the paradigm shift is occurring. Your email address will not be published. “I know the beauty of these mountains are trees but life here is not as easy as tourists admire. Imran Khan led government in KPK introduced alternative energy sources other than wood to curb deforestation. The REDD+ program is a voluntary, national-level strategy designed to give financial incentives to countries under the United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in return for demonstrated, verified reductions in net Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Saleem was of the view that since 53,000 people are directly employed in the forestry sector and millions others rely on them for livelihoods and meeting domestic energy needs. I contacted Malik Riaz to inform him about this wrong decision of planting palm trees but he didn’t listen. Now the question is how to control over deforestation in Pakistan. “All Provincial and Territorial governments shall provide incentives for promoting farm forestry by promoting private investments.”. Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Pakistan lost an average of 42,000 ha or 1.66% per year. Harvesting, forest fires, and insect infestations do not count as deforestation because the affected areas will eventually grow back. Your email address will not be published. Sensing the dire need to conserve the forest cover and playing politics to score high on his national achievement card, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced the “Green Pakistan Programme”. Temperature would also rise up to 2-3°C above average temperatures. Dengue and malaria has infected the population. Recently, on the occasion of Earth Day, WWF-Pakistan collaborated with DHA Karachi to plant a total of 10,000 mangrove saplings. Remove everything which is exotic. Due to settlements, whole area and its natural environment vanished completely. Deforestation may decline the GDP through marine life, rivers, and damage to forests which in return causing flooding and land sliding etc. It states, “Considerable reduction of trees and vegetation, and rapid urbanization over the recent years had also contributed to the severity of the heat waves.”. Many forests rely on groundwater for survival, and depend on wetlands to support their growth. “Deforestation is a grave issue. However, no official body in Pakistan is working on its implementation. Required fields are marked *. Dr. Baig, suggests that wetlands should start being used for afforestation because a large land area where a jungle could be grown is not available so easily. Helga Ahmed, an environmental activist, striving for the preservation of forests especially in the Gilgit Baltistan region explained the massive deforestation in the region that was carried out in eighties and is now reaping the results in the form of frequent floods. The programme plans to plant 100 million trees in the country this year. Work in this sector has been going on for 40 years now and the government have achieved great progress. Deforestation is caused by various anthropogenic factors, forest fire and fragmentation of large contiguous forests. Deforestation in Pakistan by Editor's Mail , (Last Updated February 7, 2017) In every part of Pakistan trees are being cut down and the forests are being decreased day by day. Thick mangroves are a part of ecological feature of coastlines in Pakistan, which are now facing multiple threats to its existence despite having innumerous beneficial qualities especially protecting coast from sea intrusion. Share: Share. I went to the rural Punjab and held training sessions for farmers about the use of Neem seed to be utilized as fertilizer and pesticide. Disputes, pollution, deforestation — what it’s like to live near CPEC project in Pakistan China insists that BRI projects, of which CPEC is the centerpiece, are strictly vetted for environmental impacts and meant to benefit the locals. Deforestation.. Subtropical pine forests grow all over Margalla hills in the Capital and occupy substantial land in Murree while Mangrove forests are present near Indus delta and coastal areas of Sindh having for long garnered the attention and attraction of many researchers. Pakistan had 340,000 ha of planted forest. In hot summer days, people especially labors seek refuge in the shade of trees to avoid scorching sun. A study conducted by the University of Columbia has found that deforestation is largely driven by urbanization. “The absence of mangroves have lowered the guards against the global warming and climate change which are adversely impacting Pakistan.” told Dr Baig. The intervention of motorway in the home range has shortened the wild cat’s habitat. Pakistan lost 14.7% of its forest habitat between 1990 and 2005 interval. The group has located 19 sites in the country including peat lands which can be developed into forests. It was also our classroom during the warmer season, as schools were turned into hospitals. March 18, 2018. Question: Did you ever serve in government for forestry? Its lead author Ruth Defries wrote: “The main drivers of deforestation have shifted from small scale landholders to domestic and international markets that are distant from the forests.”. Right at the end where the river starts, forests were coming down the valley, springs gushing around rolling over the rocks and stones in between wild grass and flowers the environment full of fragrances, giving a soothing effect. General Public totally fail to enhance the forest areas in the cities of Pakistan. As a consequence to deforestation and changing land use patterns, the most critically affected ecosystems of Pakistan are: Certain soils are not appropriate for agriculture, such as the nutrient-deficient soils of rainforests as well as acidic soils. The announcement has been made but the initiative is still to be planned and implemented.”. The damage inflicted by deforestation on biodiversity is so great that it cannot be gauged in financial terms. January 19, 2012. We also use native wood to build roof of our buildings, which would otherwise be very costly if we buy it from market.”d. “Due to shrinkage of its route from 40km to 25km the food base of leopard will also suffer. When I came to Pakistan, I realized none of the people knew about the trees growing around. “They are very important for the health of the coastal ecosystem, serve as carbon sinks, protect the coast from erosion, and serve as the first wall of defense against disasters like tidal waves, storm surges and tsunamis.” told Muhammad Tahir Qureshi, Senior Advisor Coastal Ecosystem at Coastal & Marine Program. “Each of Pakistan’s five provinces has its own forest law, intended to regulate forest conservation and timber harvesting according to local needs,” told Mohammad Saleem Deputy Director Media & Communications at the Ministry of climate change “But these are routinely ignored - often with the connivance of local politicians, some of whom encourage their constituents to cut down forest, sell the wood, and turn the land into profitable plots for farming or construction.”. InamUllah Khan who is REDD+ Programme Coordinator of Pakistan told, “For the strategies we make it important to remember that every species of plants has a different capacity for carbon storage. So far, to tackle this issue, not much is being done because tackling the terrorism issues and the goals of economic growth within the country overthrow the goals of environmental conservation. When the tree plantation season started, we had grey bearded foresters to guide us in understanding the flora and fauna of the forest, and for months, we used to spend our time there. It includes acquiring technical devices and establishing a feedback mechanism for local communities. According to the Ministry of Climate change (MoCC), ‘+’ stands for additional activities as a result of the plan such as enhancing carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. July 18, 2017. Mangroves- In the process of rehabilitation. This tree laden plateau with rich biodiversity and temperate temperature attracted General Ayub Khan to this place. The area under forests in Pakistan is only 4.5% and many agricultural scientists stated that it should be almost 25-30% of total area of any country. Deforestation: The human and economic costs, Environmentalist Helga Catrina Ahmad explains how the invasive alien species of plants are causing environmental harm to. This diversity according to Pakistan Forests Institute (PFI) ranges from 2000-3000 meters long consisting of thousand year old juniper trees in Suleiman range to Alpine pastures in the Deosai plains. Question: When was the first drive to increase the forest cover for the Islamabad? In most cases, deforestation focuses only on short-term gains and ignore the long-term consequences and problems. However, with fast diminishing forest cover, CO2 is accumulated in the environment but not utilized which is warming the globe. Gilgit-Baltistan could apply other alternative energy sources in order to curb deforestation in the sense of local efficiency. The government should promote “Green building designs and constructions” for every organization and every organization should have been given an annual target of tree plantation. How they can serve trees and in reciprocity the trees will serve them. He said, “Goral goat which is native of Margalla hills has completely vanished from the Margalla hills.”. According to Dr Baig, mangroves are the marine nurseries where fish, shrimp and crabs spawn and because they are in the inter-tidal zone, then these are washed into deeper sea to nurture marine life. Qureshi lamented the rapid deforestation of mangroves, “Mangroves forests are surviving but will not thrive for a longer period.”. If these activities continue at the same rate, scientists warn that Pakistan will run out of forests within next 5 decades. The area under forests in Pakistan is only 4.5% and many agricultural scientists stated that it should be almost 25-30% of total … Pakistan is a developing country and almost being a victim of floods every year. Farm forestry has served as a very important way of afforestation in Pakistan. The ICUN has tackled over 100,000 hectares of degraded mangrove areas in collaboration with the government and non-governmental organizations and coastal communities on the Sindh and Balochistan coast. “Even though there is enough space for tree growth along the border of the lands, owners were too skeptical to use that area for farm forestry” explained Nasir, “for they suspected government is going to own their land.”. ... Pakistan receives solar radiation with great intensity about 20MJ. At that time I decided to step in to preach about Mother Nature and trees. We can’t apply one size fits all formula to this”, he added. According to Environment protection agency, over the years, industrialization has caused massive emission of carbon dioxide and other gases into the air. Over the years, the genocidal trend of slaughtering trees has triggered disastrous climatic changes in the country. In Pakistan, another cause for deforestation is timber mafia. Principally, a rural community mainly depends on the forests to access water, medicine, fuel as well as for food items. Moreover, this model is based on the “Great green wall programme” of China in which Chinese government aimed to combat desertification by planting 100 billion trees along the northern part of China’s Gobi desert. Annual deforestation rate is 1.68% in the country which is the highest deforestation rate in Asia. This campaign may be more fruitful if awareness spread among the students of schools, colleges, and universities. Malik Amin Aslam Khan, environment adviser to PTI and mastermind behind this campaign, told “Billion Tree Tsunami” project was registered under the Global “Bonn Challenge” on afforestation - which is a global voluntary initiative of countries opting to increase forestry under the umbrella of the UN convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “Pakistan joined the UN-REDD Programme in 2011. According to UN-REDD.org, the main aim of this initiative is to increase the total area of forests in the country which stands at 4.34 million hectares (5 per cent of total land) only. But in practice, it has fallen short. Although the government of Pakistan and NGOs has taken steps to halt environmental degradation, Pakistan’s environmental issues still remain same. Pakistan's Newspaper on Science, Technology, Engineering, Innovation. Forests are helpful in absorbing the flood water and water gets managed up in a good way. “Lower middle class cannot afford cylinder which costs around Rs 1400. Dr. Sofia Baig professor in Environmental Sciences at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) explained that new report of Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) predicts that concentration of carbon dioxide will double in next century. The secretariat is working with United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty that provides framework for wise use of wetlands and their resources. This consequently plays a role in the preservation of wetlands, which act as natural reservoirs and are extremely rich in terms of both biodiversity and the environmental services that they provide. The Federal Ministry of Climate Change, in collaboration with WWF Pakistan secured the $3.8 million REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project developed by UN-REDD despite competition from other countries for this program. During 1958 to 1968, Ayub Khan’s main emphasis was the on green Pakistan that means plantation of quick growing trees, prioritizing Eucalyptus. Environment of Islamabad is not favorable to the growth of bearing good quality palm trees. In his view, the unprecedented progress in technology has opened the vistas to have strict check and balance of cutting trees but nothing is done to curb the problem. Neem is indigenous tree, which is rapidly being uprooted in Pakistan for the nexus of reasons while the world is adopting it as a sword to combat climate change. Consumption for accelerating livestock and crops deforestation encourages higher levels of water use. Typically, deforestation is clearing a lot of trees without the intention of establishing future growth. This route is called its home range where it feels safe and knows its surroundings. Forests reduce the pressure and flow of the water and hence a reduction in losses. Pakistan is facing problem of deforestation. It is equally important to introduce alternative livelihoods among forest communities and provide them alternative energy sources for cooking and heating. Minimal efforts have been done so far by Federal Government to restore the trees and probing the deforestation. Communities need to carefully consider the benefits and costs those who want to clear forest land for the agricultural or another purpose. They are an asset for the ecosystem as they serve in water filtration, storm protection, flood control and recreation as stated in WWF website. According Bisma Raja another resident of Murree, hailing from village karore, wood is the best alternative to gas, because working in the fields  for a whole day and earning meager income doesn’t allow her family to substitute gas for wood. After becoming the member of committee I again visited Swat in 1996. They trap energy in the atmosphere causing the temperature to rise. Pakistan has only 2.5 percent of forest cover with an alarming rate of deforestation. Another reason for planting eucalyptus was that British planned to plant trees along a new railway line from Karachi to Khyber by engaging German foresters. Allowing the communities to have an alternate source of income besides fishing, which remained their main profession not only benefits them but also creates healthy ecology. “These plantations will certainly benefit local communities as mangroves are the important source of livelihood for them”, says Asif Ali Sandeelo, Senior Communication Officer at WWF-Pakistan Karachi. Here are a few solutions that can help save our planet from the harmful effects of deforestation. Agricultural, industrial activities, logging, fire, tourism development and mining are other reasons of deforestation. This phenomenon is called greenhouse effect. “Since the opening of Karakorum Highway in mid-eighties, timber mafia non-stop turned the slopes barren. Deforestation occurs when a land dominated by naturally occurring trees is converted to provide certain services in response to the human demand. - by Sami Khan - 3 Comments. This article is jointly authored by Rabia Shafqat* and Manan Aslam**- *Student at University of Management and Technology (UMT), Sialkot**Faculty Member at Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture (MNSUAM), Multan. Carbon dioxide combined with these gases act like a blanket around the Earth. Deforestation: Consequences & Solutions. Editorial. Pakistan is a semi arid country with less than 4% of its area under forest cover.At the global level, WWF is lobbying governments to establish an ecologically … Pollen allergy is on the prowl due to male paper mulberry plants in Islamabad. Pakistan’s forest resources are shrinking at a rate of one percent which will have dreadful effects on the people of Pakistan. They explained that the project is funded by forest carbon partnership facility with the World Bank as trustee to the fund. Rapid deforestation of mangroves had advanced extreme weather pattern in Pakistan especially in Sindh. “Developmental plans need proper environment consideration. Basically, we lived with nature and were taught how to protect it.We were also taught to embrace a healthy tree for, it will give one strength to face difficult periods. • Pakistan is the country with highest rate of deforestation in Asia. Pakistan is not self-sufficient in wood based products and spends billions of rupees on import of wood and wood based products. Not only urbanization and timber mafia have amplified the deforestation but pressing need at homes of many individuals especially the ones residing on mountainous regions to burn wood for fuel is rapidly denuding forest cover. Poplar trees are used for producing matches and are farmed as they need more water than is available in the jungles. We can try to replicate such kind of model here in Pakistan with desired amendments. Later, during Ayub Khan’s era, a lot of eucalyptus was planted and promoted as a mosquito repellent throughout the country. I had visited Swat back in 1964 it was just like heaven for me. The main actor involved in bringing such change was timber mafia. Wetland consist of land areas that are filled with water either fresh, salt or somewhere in between. Support the creation of plantation forests. “What do we do, if we don’t cut trees? Pakistan is currently in its first phase of action which is preparedness. Just avoid exotic plants that don’t belong here because firstly it’ll help counter pollen allergy and water crisis. Reducing tropical deforestation can significantly lower global warming emissions and—together with efforts to reduce emissions from fossil fuels—plays an integral role in a comprehensive long-term solution to global warming. Burn and slash techniques are habitually used to clear the rainforest land, nutrients locked up in vegetation to release when the trees are cut down and then the area is burned. Deforestation statistics for Pakistan. Deforestation is one of the environmental problems that Pakistan and all over the world is confronting, and this is getting worse as the population and economy of the country are expanding. Question: There is mushroom growth of housing societies in Islamabad. A Future Destroyed For A Bottle Of Honey! At first, they were receptive about the initiative of substituting Neem seed as fertilizer and pesticide but later pesticide lobby brainwashed them by planting malicious ideas into their minds that were completely against farmers interests. Afia salam, environment based journalist told Pakistan has highest rate of urbanization as well as deforestation in South Asia and both of these factors serve as double edged sword for harming the healthy environment. Any organization who is doing well for the environment should be benefited by the government as a reward for example, by giving relaxation in the tax. Deforestation.2. As the recent climate is sever threats for the inhabitants. Thus, affecting not only the ecology but also the local economy. If you’re ready to join the movement to protect Forests, Wildlife, and Our Climate, here’s how you can start: Support efforts to amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples and traditional forest communities. Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. Cutting number of plants have a lot of unfavorable consequences which can bring more droughts in Pakistan and after that, there would be no plants to protect the ozone layers. “This model is providing conservation driven economic respite in a province otherwise stricken by terrorism and conflict.” Malik said. According to PTI’s environment advisor, the new hydroelectric plants were installed at the cost of around Rs5 billion.They have capacities ranging from 10 to 500 kilowatts. However, alarming rate of deforestation has eradicated the habitat of many species. Scholarships, Global UGRAD – Global Undergraduate Exchange Program USA, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources. What are your views on that? At present, Pakistan is producing only 14 million cubic meter of wood. Question: What should be done to curb this problem? We are already having a terrible water crises where people don’t even have water to drink. Reduce your consumption of single-use products. Trees that absorb carbon dioxide are potential “carbon sinks” which are being largely cut to build infrastructure, buildings and industries resulting in rapidly changing temperature. 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