The government has approved the launch of "Green Pakistan Programme" designed to plant 100 million trees during the next five years all over the country along canals and roadsides as well as in the forest areas of KPK, Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. The federal government would provide 50 percent of the funding requirement, while the provinces will defray the rest of the cost.
The programme has not come a day too soon. Pakistan is one of the few countries most affected by the negative trajectory of climate change. Extreme weather conditions as manifested by frequent floods and heat waves have played havoc with life and property in the length and breadth of the country over the last few years. Environmental degradation in Pakistan is a well-established phenomenon impacting the entire national social and economic landscape. Our forests, wetlands and other natural resources are increasingly destroyed by soil erosion, degradation of organic matter, water-logging, salinity and disappearance of natural vegetation. Water basins are receding and water pollution is on the rise. Forest cover is shrinking due to over-exploitation of forest resources. According to a latest survey, with time Pakistan is losing agricultural productivity, biodiversity and livelihood opportunities for a majority of its people. Besides creeping desertification, the quality of air is also deteriorating due to increasing chemical pollution.
Climate change threats to Pakistan are increasing. Look at the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events coupled with erratic monsoon rains causing frequent and intense floods and droughts, projected recession of the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan glaciers due to global warming and carbon soot deposits from trans-boundary pollution sources, threatening water inflows into the Indus River system, increased siltation of major dams caused by more frequent and intense floods, and increased temperature resulting in enhanced heat-and water-stressed conditions, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. All these factors are leading towards reduced agricultural productivity, a decrease in the already scanty forest cover and increased intrusion of saline water in the Indus delta adversely affecting coastal agriculture mangroves and the breeding grounds of fish.
The latest estimates show that the total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million hectares which is 4.8 per cent of the total land area. Farmland trees and linear planting along roadsides, canal banks and railway tracks covering an estimated area of 466,000 hectares and 16,000 hectares, respectively, do not constitute forests in the context of the legal, ecological definition of forests. There are other miscellaneous plantations over an area of 155,000 hectares. If these categories of plantations are excluded from the total forest area of 4.224 million hectares, the latter is reduced to 3.587 million hectares which is approximately 4.1 per cent of the total area.
There are myriad downside risks to the national environmental resources. Plant biodiversity is under attack from population explosion, unplanned urbanisation, deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources. In Sindh and Punjab, the government has leased vast areas of forest land to influential feudal lords. Climate change is having a devastating impact on Tharparkar which has faced 13 periods of severe drought during the last 20 years. These droughts have resulted in large-scale destruction of wildlife and vegetative cover. Precious trees like chilghoza are near extinction and the widespread deforestation in Murree and the surrounding hills is a sorry sight. According to environmental activists, every year 13 million hectares of forest, equal to the size of Portugal, are lost in Pakistan.
Rapid economic development and man-made interference in the natural systems are the chief reasons behind this problem. The increasing population, overgrazing and unemployment also cause deforestation. Fewer forests decrease the ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere, jeopardizing human survival. With an estimated 37 percent of its population living in cities, Pakistan is the most urbanized country in South Asia. Rapid urbanization has been accompanied by problems like rising pollution, waste mismanagement, congestion and the destruction of fragile ecosystems. Urban air pollution remains one of the most serious environmental problems facing cities.
Although the government has set up a number of ministries and departments devoted to environment protection, there is no serious attempt on the ground to conserve ecology. The speed of degradation of the environment in Pakistan is frightening. Unfortunately, very little solid work has been done so far to counter environmental threats. The lack of a comprehensive environment protection policy and weak institutional arrangements by the government are aggravating the situation.
Under the latest initiative, the Ministry of Climate Change is to devise plans for the assessment of forests depletion using modern technology, and also for both short- and long-term forest resource expansion. The ministries of Climate Change and Science and Technology will work together, helped by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission's imaging technology, to monitor the forests for illegal logging and degradation on a regular basis. The present initiative will require provincial governments to devise new methods to preserve and enlarge forests. An example has been set by KPK, where the one-billion-tree campaign is already under way and the government has banned even routine logging to prevent wanton destruction of forests by timber mafias. But other provinces have not yet shown any serious interest in planting trees — the single most important defence against environmental degradation caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
While planting trees along roads is vital to offset carbon emissions, the authorities concerned also need to adopt other measures to reduce environmental pollution. Until a few years ago, it was mandatory for vehicles to annually obtain road fitness certificates. Over time, this important provision is no longer enforced. The previous government had announced Euro-2 emissions standards to control harmful vehicular emissions. It is time measures are put on the ground for their effective implementation.
As it is, we have missed our target for increasing forest cover to 6pc by 2015. Coastal mangroves, non-timber forests in the mountainous areas and the preservation of biodiversity are important goals that need to be either added to the programme, or addressed through similarly plans. Desertification in Pakistan is an emerging issue which is not addressed by the government’s newly announced “green” programme. It is simply a massive tree plantation drive to preserve and better manage the forest and wildlife of the country. For sustainable management of our natural resources, it is advisable to dovetail it with other, existing programmes that seek to increase tree cover and preserve biodiversity.
Some programmes already in the execution stage include the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD+, under UN auspices, as well as the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. The Green Pakistan Programme has some other good features such as regular stocktaking of forests and their degradation. For the initiative to make a meaningful impact on the ecology of Pakistan, it will need to be aligned with a broader set of programmes and projects based on a comprehensive study of the existing and emerging problems in this vital sector.
The programme has not come a day too soon. Pakistan is one of the few countries most affected by the negative trajectory of climate change. Extreme weather conditions as manifested by frequent floods and heat waves have played havoc with life and property in the length and breadth of the country over the last few years. Environmental degradation in Pakistan is a well-established phenomenon impacting the entire national social and economic landscape. Our forests, wetlands and other natural resources are increasingly destroyed by soil erosion, degradation of organic matter, water-logging, salinity and disappearance of natural vegetation. Water basins are receding and water pollution is on the rise. Forest cover is shrinking due to over-exploitation of forest resources. According to a latest survey, with time Pakistan is losing agricultural productivity, biodiversity and livelihood opportunities for a majority of its people. Besides creeping desertification, the quality of air is also deteriorating due to increasing chemical pollution.
Climate change threats to Pakistan are increasing. Look at the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events coupled with erratic monsoon rains causing frequent and intense floods and droughts, projected recession of the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan glaciers due to global warming and carbon soot deposits from trans-boundary pollution sources, threatening water inflows into the Indus River system, increased siltation of major dams caused by more frequent and intense floods, and increased temperature resulting in enhanced heat-and water-stressed conditions, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. All these factors are leading towards reduced agricultural productivity, a decrease in the already scanty forest cover and increased intrusion of saline water in the Indus delta adversely affecting coastal agriculture mangroves and the breeding grounds of fish.
The latest estimates show that the total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million hectares which is 4.8 per cent of the total land area. Farmland trees and linear planting along roadsides, canal banks and railway tracks covering an estimated area of 466,000 hectares and 16,000 hectares, respectively, do not constitute forests in the context of the legal, ecological definition of forests. There are other miscellaneous plantations over an area of 155,000 hectares. If these categories of plantations are excluded from the total forest area of 4.224 million hectares, the latter is reduced to 3.587 million hectares which is approximately 4.1 per cent of the total area.
There are myriad downside risks to the national environmental resources. Plant biodiversity is under attack from population explosion, unplanned urbanisation, deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources. In Sindh and Punjab, the government has leased vast areas of forest land to influential feudal lords. Climate change is having a devastating impact on Tharparkar which has faced 13 periods of severe drought during the last 20 years. These droughts have resulted in large-scale destruction of wildlife and vegetative cover. Precious trees like chilghoza are near extinction and the widespread deforestation in Murree and the surrounding hills is a sorry sight. According to environmental activists, every year 13 million hectares of forest, equal to the size of Portugal, are lost in Pakistan.
Rapid economic development and man-made interference in the natural systems are the chief reasons behind this problem. The increasing population, overgrazing and unemployment also cause deforestation. Fewer forests decrease the ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere, jeopardizing human survival. With an estimated 37 percent of its population living in cities, Pakistan is the most urbanized country in South Asia. Rapid urbanization has been accompanied by problems like rising pollution, waste mismanagement, congestion and the destruction of fragile ecosystems. Urban air pollution remains one of the most serious environmental problems facing cities.
Although the government has set up a number of ministries and departments devoted to environment protection, there is no serious attempt on the ground to conserve ecology. The speed of degradation of the environment in Pakistan is frightening. Unfortunately, very little solid work has been done so far to counter environmental threats. The lack of a comprehensive environment protection policy and weak institutional arrangements by the government are aggravating the situation.
Under the latest initiative, the Ministry of Climate Change is to devise plans for the assessment of forests depletion using modern technology, and also for both short- and long-term forest resource expansion. The ministries of Climate Change and Science and Technology will work together, helped by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission's imaging technology, to monitor the forests for illegal logging and degradation on a regular basis. The present initiative will require provincial governments to devise new methods to preserve and enlarge forests. An example has been set by KPK, where the one-billion-tree campaign is already under way and the government has banned even routine logging to prevent wanton destruction of forests by timber mafias. But other provinces have not yet shown any serious interest in planting trees — the single most important defence against environmental degradation caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
While planting trees along roads is vital to offset carbon emissions, the authorities concerned also need to adopt other measures to reduce environmental pollution. Until a few years ago, it was mandatory for vehicles to annually obtain road fitness certificates. Over time, this important provision is no longer enforced. The previous government had announced Euro-2 emissions standards to control harmful vehicular emissions. It is time measures are put on the ground for their effective implementation.
As it is, we have missed our target for increasing forest cover to 6pc by 2015. Coastal mangroves, non-timber forests in the mountainous areas and the preservation of biodiversity are important goals that need to be either added to the programme, or addressed through similarly plans. Desertification in Pakistan is an emerging issue which is not addressed by the government’s newly announced “green” programme. It is simply a massive tree plantation drive to preserve and better manage the forest and wildlife of the country. For sustainable management of our natural resources, it is advisable to dovetail it with other, existing programmes that seek to increase tree cover and preserve biodiversity.
Some programmes already in the execution stage include the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD+, under UN auspices, as well as the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. The Green Pakistan Programme has some other good features such as regular stocktaking of forests and their degradation. For the initiative to make a meaningful impact on the ecology of Pakistan, it will need to be aligned with a broader set of programmes and projects based on a comprehensive study of the existing and emerging problems in this vital sector.
Post a Comment