From zero meters on the coast to 8,611m at the summit of K2, Pakistan has been gifted with the greatest change in elevation within any sovereign state on earth. High up in mountains, the country also has the largest glacial area outside of the polar region, with more than 160 peaks above 7000m. This is home to diverse cultures and eco-systems, with national parks ranging from Khunjerab National Park on the border with China, to Hingol National Park on the Makran coast.

Pakistan also has a wide range of forests, from mangroves on the coast to Himalayan moist temperate forests in the north. Unfortunately our forest cover has steadily declined over the years since the partition of the subcontinent and today, depending on whether you speak to government officials or WWF-Pakistan, the tree cover is said to be anywhere from 5.2 per cent to 2.2 per cent. According to WWF-Pakistan, 2.2 per cent is the more likely figure and they estimate that out of this, only 20.2 per cent is primary forest. Pakistan has one of the highest deforestation rates in the region, losing up to 42,000 hectares per year (1.66 per cent). According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 840,000 ha or 33.2 per cent of the forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2010.

Construction of roads in remote areas, the expansion of agriculture and livestock, the role of the powerful timber mafia, the demand for wood in our growing cities and of course our rapid population growth are some of the reasons for losing the forest cover. In 1963, we were a nation of just 63 million people but today we are around 200 million people in Pakistan. The sad reality is that our forests are disappearing fast and something needs to be done about it urgently.

Luckily, the KP government has already launched its ambitious Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation project, for planting millions of saplings and protecting vast tracts of forests in all districts of the province in the next few years. The federal government plans to launch a similar scheme called the prime minister’s Green Pakistan Programme (GPP) later this month, to plant 100 million trees across the country in all the four provinces and regions.

How forest protection can save and even make money

At a recent training workshop for journalists on climate change issues, organised by the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Bhurban last week, Inspector General Forests, Syed Mahmood Nasir spoke about the government’s new initiative. “The Green Pakistan Programme will be supporting the Billion Tree Tsunami project without the involvement of any politics. We need to get the consensus of all,” he said. Apart from 100 million trees to be planted over the next five years mostly along roads and canals, the programme includes protection and conservation of wildlife species.

The Paris Agreement reached by all the UN member states in December last year also calls for an increase in forest cover worldwide for curbing climate change and demands drastic policy changes and on the ground intervention. In this regard, Mahmood Nasir has prepared a draft of the first national forest policy and presented to the Council of Common Interests (CCI). It sets out plans for mass tree planting, curbing deforestation and promoting conservation. “We consulted all provinces and various NGOs etc. and now the CCI’s approval is awaited,” he says.

The IG Forests is also keen to promote the UN’s global programme to increase forests called REDD-plus, which is a part of the Paris Agreement and refers to “reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries”. It is estimated that 15 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions come from deforestation. Experts say the process of cutting and burning trees adds as much pollution to the atmosphere as all cars and trucks in the world put together. Therefore, any realistic plan to reduce global warming in the near future must include the preservation of tropical forests.

Presently Pakistan is preparing itself for the implementation phase of the UN programme. It has prepared its national REDD+ strategy and compliance during the first phase while implementation will begin by 2018. Since experts can now calculate the amount of carbon dioxide stored in trees, this way the entire carbon stock of the country can be accounted for. Hence with this programme all the new trees planted in Pakistan will also be accounted for to show how the carbon stock is increasing. All this will be accomplished by the federal Ministry of Climate Change as the UN system deals only at the federal level.

According to Syed Mahmood Nasir, “Pakistan can earn up to $400 million per year by saving forests in the country under REDD+”. He is currently trying to spread as much awareness as possible about the programme, according to which a country that commits to reducing deforestation below an established baseline would receive valuable credits in carbon markets for reducing carbon emissions. After a national baseline has been established, independent satellite observations and ground inspections of forested areas would verify that the national commitment is in fact being met. “With REDD-plus, we can earn dollars and increase our tree cover” he pointed out. Hopefully, a robust and transparent monitoring process will ensure that no cheating takes place so that Pakistan can finally improve its forest cover.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine August 21st, 2016