Dunya News Report (Madiha Fareed)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on Friday approved the launch of “Green Pakistan Programme”. The project targets to plant 100 million trees in the country over the next five years. The project aims to improve and promote forestry and wildlife sectors of the country. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself will lead the project.



Under this project, the government plans to plant 100 million trees across the country. Major areas to be targeted under this project include one thousand Avenue miles of Canal Side and Roadside plantations in Punjab, KPK and Sindh, plantations at Changa Manga, Darphar, Bahawalpur and Chichawatni. It would also include plantations at the mangrove forests in Karachi and Badin along with hill forests of Khirthar range in Sindh, Juniper forests of Ziarat and Chilghoza forest in Suleiman Ranges of Balochistan and areas of GB, AJK, Muree, Hazara, Kotli Sattian, Malakand, FATA (Orakzai, North Waziristan).



The idea of the project is inspired by China’s “Green Wall Programme”. Green Great Wall of China or Three-North Shelterbelt Programme is a series of human planted wind-breaking forest strips (shelterbelts) in China, designed to hold back the expansion of Gobi desert. Gobi desert is one of the largest deserts in the world and has been constantly expanding and overtaking grassland. Each year dust storms blow off topsoil and cause serious agriculture effects. The project is planned to be completed by 2050.



The Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Climate Change to develop a proposal for strengthening Zoological Survey of Pakistan to urgently undertake inventory of endangered wildlife species across Pakistan. Other ministries along with Climate Change Ministry will fully facilitate this project.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf -led Khyber Pakhtunkawa province is the first in the country to start a massive afforestation campaign. Soon after PTI formed the government in 2013, it was announced that 1 billion trees will be planted in the province over the next five years. Over 110 million trees have been planted thus far in the pursuance of Imran Khan’s passion project. One million trees are being planted everyday to achieve the target. The “Billion Tree Tsunami Project” has garnered praise from organizations like World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for having a staggering success rate of 85 percent against an international success rate of 50 percent.



According to KPK government sources, the government has so far recovered 2000 acres of land belonging to forest department from illegal occupation. The land will be used for plantation purposes.



It is interesting to note that the ministers of PML-N government used to mock KPK’s billion tree tsunami project but its success and international acclaim has forced them to realize the fierce urgency of tackling climate change. At the end of the day it is an appreciable fact that the government has followed the footsteps of the opposition on the most pressing issue.



The international criterion requires that 33 percent of a country’s total area should be covered with forests for sustainable environment whereas Pakistan has less than five percent area covered in forests. Pakistan is among the top ten countries that are heavily affected by global warming. It is an encouraging thing to know that people in power corridors are at least recognizing this issue.



United Nations has declared “Climate Change” as one of top three threats this planet faces. The temperature of the planet is constantly on the rise as 2015 was the hottest year on record according to a United States science agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).



In this regard United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 was held in Paris from November 30 to December 12 last year to forge an international consensus to tackle the effects of global warming and climate change.



The PML-N government’s metro bus and metro train project came under heavy criticism for not being environment friendly. Environment activists criticized the government for cutting a large number of trees in order to carry out the construction of these mega projects. The announcement of “Green Pakistan Programme” is a fresh breath of air amidst all the political frenzy. The PML-N has big shoes to fill as the PTI’s afforestation campaign has certainly been a success. It remains to be seen whether the resolve of the government to pursue this project passes the test of time and ultimately bring about a real change. Otherwise this is nothing more than a project for the papers.

