KARACHI: Pakistan is facing growing environmental challenges, which have an obvious socioeconomic consequence. Heat waves, impacting crop cycles, floods, drought and degradation of water and air quality posing negative impact on quality of life.
According to a report, climate change is a big environmental issue which has been caused by an increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere mostly from fossil fuel emissions. In Pakistan, the environmental degradation and climate change are adversely affecting the economy, livelihood of the poor and sustainable development.
On the one hand, growing population, unplanned urban expansion and dependence on natural resources puts immense pressure on environment that triggered climate change. Moreover, lack of public awareness regarding environmental issues and mismanagement of water and solid waste has aggravated the situation.
Consequently, Pakistan continues to suffer from a plethora of natural and human induced hazards that threaten the lives and livelihood of its citizens. These natural disasters are floods, earthquakes, landslides, cyclones and drought. The Government of Pakistan has evolved policy frameworks backed by strategy to address various aspects of the climate change including major policy and climate related interventions.
The implementation of the TBTTP was initiated in 2019 with a total cost of Rs 125.1843 billion for four years (2019-2023) to plant and regenerate 3.296 billion plants across the country. The programme is being implemented by the provincial forest and wildlife departments through MoCC on 50 percent cost sharing basis except AJ and K and GB which are 100 percent funded by the Federal Government through PSDP.
The programme has achieved 579.093 million plants during July-March FY2022 and cumulatively has attained 1586.18 million plants till March 2022. Through this programme 327,877 man months have been employed uptil March 2022.
Ministry of Climate Change has developed a robust digital reporting system to ensure the transparency of TBTTP activities. The system captures all activities including block plantation, linear plantation, assisted natural regeneration and nursery management system performed under forest component of TBTTP.
In addition, Geographic Information Centre (GIS) team of TBTTP developed a web-GIS monitoring portal which is capable to visualize the plantation sites geographically with detailed information of the site and processed satellite imagery of pre and post plantation status.
The Protected Areas Initiative was launched to improve management and governance of 23 protected areas with a total estimated cost of Rs 3.89 billion. The initiative will result in preserving rare fauna and flora and promote eco-tourism. The potential gain of this programme will be reaped with 5,500 new green jobs. Nanga Parbat National Park and Himalayan National Park in GB was inaugurated to achieve the targets envisaged under this initiative.
To cope with the challenge of climate change, matters should be addressed on both mitigations and remedies front. In this context, the government has taken multiple measures. Plantation is the most appealing strategy to expand forest cover area in the country.
Forestation will increase the absorption capacity of greenhouse gases, regulate water flows and protect coastal communities from extreme events and sea level rise. In addition, they provide migrating plant and animal species routes to resilient habitats. In Pakistan, the existing meager forest resources being crucial to environmental stability, which appeal for serious interventions supported with commitment for adequate financial flows to improve and enhance the overall forestry, wildlife and biodiversity sector. However, the TBTTP is helping to restore the ailing ecosystems and it will improve natural capital as well.