RAWALPINDI, Jan 26: Under the five-year (2008-13) mega projects for the development of forestry sector, the federal government will spend Rs3.67 billion in the Punjab province which would help produce 86 million plants.

The amount includes Rs19.20 million in foreign exchange component which is expected to be sought from a donor agency - either World Bank or the Asian Development Bank - sources told Dawn.

The scope of the project involves irrigated plantations over an area of 30,231 acres, Bela forests over 5,606 acres, Conifer forest over 11,500 acres, dry afforestation over 16,195 acres, reforestation over 2,400 acres, canal side plantation over 34,163 acres watershed management, soil conservation works over 31,395 acres, and construction of 2,400 dykes.

The sources said the area proposed for clean development mechanism would cover approximately 50,000 acres.

The project will involve generation of employment for 3.39 million, production of wood and wood products, rehabilitation of degraded environment, improvement of wildlife habitat and conservation of indigenous flora and fauna.

The objectives of the mega projects are to enhance the forest cover in line with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets and to develop new carbon sinks for Clean Development Mechanism to meet international obligations under the Kyoto Protocol in addition to enhancing the forest coverage in the country from the existing five per cent to six per cent.

A well-planned mechanism would be evolved to monitor the execution of the projects so as to ensure proper utilisation of funds and protection of the forest resources.

In addition to the mega projects plan, the government has in its files a long-term master plan for the development of forestry sector over a period of 25 years from 1993-2018. The plan reviewed the state of Pakistan’s forestry and suggested a number of approaches, policies, strategies and programmes to meet wood demand, improve environment and promote social and economic well- being of rural communities.

The master plan, highlighting the forestry issues at national and provincial levels, stipulated an investment of Rs48 billion over 25 years with a resultant increase in forestry resource from the existing five per cent to 10 per cent. Based on the recommendations of this plan, World Bank prepared an investment programme of $25 million for forestry development in Punjab. Similarly, the Asian Development Bank prepared an investment programme of $42 million for forest sector development in NWFP with 1.5 million dollars as federal component for monitoring and updating the plan.

The national forest policy was launched in 2001 highlighting the need to conserve and develop the forests and biodiversity. The policy seeks to initiate a process for eliminating the fundamental causes of the depletion of renewable natural resources through participation of all the agencies and stakeholders concerned to enable the sustainable development of the resources in the form of an umbrella policy which guides the provincial and district level policy processes.

Under the policy, long-term forest working plans will be prepared in consultation with the local communities in accordance with the guidelines issued by the federal government. Commercial felling of trees from any forest area without a sustainable working plan is not allowed. Where private ownership rights in forests are sixty per cent or more, protection/management mechanisms is left to the communities under legal cover and based on working plans. According to the policy, the management cost of such forests will be borne by the communities out of income from timber sales.